Leona Star
by The Telepathic Hawk
Summary: In all his life Leonard McCoy never imagined he would become a father to someone older than his young daughter. He also never imagined that his son would be the one to give him a grandchild. But that seems to be exactly what is happening. M/M, Ensemble


**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, nor do I make any profit from the writing of this story.**

**Author's Note: This was never intended to be this long, but I decided that I didn't want to post it in chapters. And it was never intended to have any pairings, but I just couldn't resist the Chekov/Sulu angle. I find it cute. As such this story is M/M. If that isn't your thing, please just don't read it. This is also MPREG. Once again, if that isn't your thing please don't read. This is the first time I've tried MPREG. I'm not sure how it turned out. Please let me know what you think if you have time. Happy reading. T.H.**

Leonard McCoy was said to be a hard man to get to know and an even harder man to befriend. Of course, his friendship with the captain, and all of the situations said friendship had gotten him into when they were still at the academy, was legendary. He was even friends with Commander Spock in their own fashion. He liked Sulu well enough and said that he was the one of the only people on board the 'damn space freighter' with a healthy sense of self preservation. Scotty was most likely his closest friend next to the captain and the person closest to the good doctor's age in a crew that was relatively young. Their fields were so different that they never had anything to talk about while they were drinking with each other except for the mundane or ship gossip. It was the only time either of them cared about either course of conversation. But, forgetting all of their worries for a time to discuss who was seeing who and what the captain would get them into next was therapeutic for both of them.

McCoy treated Uhura as he treated all of the women on board save for his female nurses. ("Nurses aren't women, damn it, they're nurses!") And that was with a polite deference. His mother, queen of his family, had raised him right after all. Outside of the medical bay the nurses became women again and he was nothing but polite. Inside the medical bay he didn't think twice about yelling or asking a nurse to get her head out of her ass and help. The only one of his nurses who didn't shirk away from such behavior was Christine Chapel. The first time he'd yelled at her she'd yelled right back and done exactly what he needed done in a more efficient way than he had ordered. After the surgery was over, a success, they had just grinned at each other as they sipped coffee, leaning against the wall just outside of the medical bay. And if neither of them noticed the glances of respect, longing and lust they sent to one another when the other wasn't looking they were so obvious to the rest of the crew it was figured that they'd eventually both get their heads out of their asses and start a relationship. The captain probably would have already suggested it if Leonard and Christine weren't extra careful around him. The man might have been impulsive and immature, but no one could claim that he was less than observant.

Pavel Chekov was never said to be a hard young man to get to know and almost all of the crew liked to think of themselves as his friend, especially the command crew. When they were on shift Pavel was just another member of the crew. While people might smile at the way he read the inter-ship messages, no one dared to poke fun at him because of his accent. While everyone on the bridge would look to him first to make sure he was alright after the ship had been rocked by battle and they had all been thrown out of their chairs no one even considered that he would be anywhere but with them in time of danger. The crew that he worked with most often, the command crew, respected his intelligence and his abilities. They liked him because he was energetic, enthusiastic, and the little brother most of them had never had. Off the bridge he was treated like the teenager he was. They indulged his occasional moodiness and his voracious appetite. When he acted immature he was told so. When he acted more mature than he should have to be while not on duty there was almost no one who wouldn't try to make him loosen up a little. He needed to be able to act like a teenager sometimes and they had all gotten the feeling that he had never really had the chance to do so.

Sometimes Pavel felt that those on the command crew were rather too protective of him, cared too much more for his happiness and safety than their own or anyone else's. When a bully in engineering had been making his life hell, instead of letting him work it out for himself, Scotty had the man transferred. When he had been injured on an away mission, a long, painful but otherwise non-life threatening burn across his abdomen from a strange enemy weapon, Kirk had picked him up and hadn't let him down again until they were back on the ship in the medical bay. Uhura was constantly after him to eat healthier when they were in the mess at the same time and took care to speak to him in Russian even when he responded in Federation Standard, hoping to improve upon the words he still couldn't quite get out around his accent. Even Spock seemed to inquire after his health and the health of his family, something he didn't seem to do for anyone else; Kirk did not hesitate to point out.

"Captain, I have come to understand that this time in a human's life is considered one of the most crucial for continued mental stability in later adulthood. Therefore it is only logical that Ensign Chekov's emotional state is regularly ascertained through general questioning and anything upsetting his calm is rectified immediately." Jim only stared, at a loss for words for one of the only times in his life. Vulcans, it seemed, even had logical practices surrounding the care and growth of inherently emotional humans. Or perhaps it was just Spock. Kirk wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

For the first few months of the mission Sulu make it his personal quest to make sure that Pavel was never bored. They had become friends quickly after the Narada incident and Hikaru knew that his young friend's mind often worked through all he was assigned so fast that afterward he had nothing to do. So, Hikaru decided that the best course of action was to exhaust the younger man's body so that his mind didn't have time to get bored. They would run together. Pavel did love to run. It was the one physical thing he knew for certain that he could best everyone else on the ship at. After a good long run Hikaru might try to teach him fencing or one of the martial art forms he had mastered himself, depending on what they were both feeling that particular day. He quickly realized that his plan was a good one, but in moderation. Pavel's body was not completely grown, after all, and he simply wasn't getting enough rest. The first and last time Pavel fell asleep on shift and nearly fell out of his chair Hikaru backed off. Now their schedule was better for both of them and Hikaru realized that sometimes Chekov needed time to himself, that his mind was always working and so he was never actually bored.

But, despite all of these friendships and relationships, the one relationship that came into being as their five year mission progressed that made the entire crew scratch their heads was the relationship Leonard McCoy, their moody CMO, developed and shared with Pavel Chekov, youngest navigator in Starfleet history and ship's darling. After their rocky initial meeting when stress was high and McCoy was at his worst while Pavel was in his element they didn't speak for months. They might sit at the same table with the rest of the command crew, but they never really had opportunity to talk. Chekov's feelings were still a little raw when it came to the good doctor because, despite how he had seemed to brush off the doctor's clear disapproval of his age it had affected him more than he told anyone. McCoy himself was still feeling guilty about how he had talked to the young man, but at the time he had been going on sixty hours without sleep, had had to keep his arms crossed more often than not so that no one could see the way his hands were shaking after twenty-two surgeries, and his heart had been raw from losing seven on the table and thirty-three more on his watch. The young navigator and their resident super genius had been so fresh and wide-eyed despite the fact that he'd been awake nearly as long as McCoy himself that McCoy had had to lash out. He'd needed someone to be as miserable as he was in that moment. The pain that had momentarily flashed into Chekov's eyes had been satisfying for almost two seconds. The guilt had crashed down a moment later, but he hadn't had the time to process it with the weight of all that was happening. When he finally did have the time to process it, it began to eat him alive and didn't ease until months later when he began his own relationship with the young man. The first time they spoke after that first meeting was when Kirk busted into the sickbay with Chekov, blushing and stammering, in his arms.

"What the hell happened?" Bones asked as Jim crossed the room and laid Chekov on a bio-bed, pushing on his shoulder to keep him laid prone.

"He was burnt by something. Some messed up weapon down on the planet. Looks pretty bad." Jim ignored the fact that he seemed to be causing Chekov more pain and distress by holding him down than his wound was causing him.

"It is nothing, doctor," Chekov whispered around the embarrassment that gathered in his throat. He closed his eyes as the doctor approached. The doctor already thought of him as a child. Did he really have to live with the doctor thinking he was inept and weak as well?

The pressure the captain was exerting on his chest was replaced by blessedly cool hands pulling up his shirt. He fought not to hiss in pain at the fabric scraping against his burn and was ashamed when a small whimper came from the back of his throat. Pavel kept his eyes closed and was amazed when the doctor began to hum from the back of his throat as he scanned Pavel's wound with his tricorder. The low, off-key humming was soothing and Pavel found he was able to concentrate on it as the examination was completed.

"So, he's going to be okay, right, Bones?"

"Damn it, Jim, he's going to be fine!" Leonard whirled on the captain, his voice gruff and annoyed, his brows furrowed, "It's barely a flesh wound! He's an officer of Starfleet, damn it! Start treating him like it! Now get your ass out of my sickbay! Don't you have something better you could be doing right now?" Pavel struggled between trying not to smile in appreciation and trying not to gasp in shock at the way McCoy spoke exactly what he himself was feeling. He felt a sick shudder go through his body that prevented either reaction and moaned again, despite himself.

"Don't hold it in, kid," McCoy's voice was gentler than Pavel had ever heard it and seemed to be right next to his ear, "No need to be brave. There's no one here, just you and me. I'm not going to judge. You go right on ahead and make all the noise you want. I know you're hurting like hell. I'll get a hypo for you."

Pavel wanted to admit that it did hurt like hell. He wanted to scream and whimper and cry. But, he didn't do any of those things. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to be strong. So, he merely curled his hands into fists and allowed only a single tear to leak from his closed eyes. He wasn't sure if it was only a few moments or if it was much longer than that before he felt the prick of a hypo on his neck and he fell into unconsciousness, feeling only relief and thankfulness as he did so.

He thought he heard McCoy mumble just as he was going under, "Yeah. You're a brave boy." But he couldn't be sure.

When he awoke, not so very much later- he knew because he was still in the torn and bloody uniform he'd worn to the sickbay- it took him a moment for his vision to clear, but when it did he was amazed to find that the good doctor was standing over him, not quite smiling, but close enough. His lips were not pursed, but soft and the corners were turned up just slightly. He didn't say anything as McCoy scanned him one last time. He only winced a little when McCoy ran a hand, gentle, but firm, over the wound. Then, McCoy treated him to a real smile. He had never seen Dr. McCoy smile. He smiled back automatically.

"You're good to go. All patched up. You'll be sore for the next couple of days. No heavy running or stretching, but you're fit for duty otherwise," His voice, though not quite gentle, was also not quite as gruff as Pavel had come to expect as he helped Chekov sit up, then helped him off the bed, and stepped aside to let him move toward the door, "Now, get the hell out of my sickbay, kid. Try to stay out of trouble next time."

"I am not a kid," Chekov, always optimistic, wondered if perhaps the doctor would recognize a teasing tone, and overture of friendship, "I am Starfleet officer. If I get in trouble again it will be because I do my job."

"You're seventeen, if you don't remember that. I'm twice your age. You're always going to be a kid to me. It doesn't mean you're not a damn fine officer and a damn fine addition to the ship." His eyes went soft as he spoke and Chekov realized instinctively that this was as close to an apology for the matter that had remained unspoken between them for so long as McCoy was going to get.

"Thank you, doctor," Pavel smiled at him again. McCoy frowned, but Pavel expected it now. For the first time he didn't feel that little shiver of fear and dread run up his spine at the frown and instead smiled wider at it.

"You have the rest of the day, Chekov. Get some rest."

Neither of them really spoke of it again, but they both knew that something profound changed that day. They were no longer uncomfortable around each other. In fact, it wasn't uncommon, after that point, to see them sharing a meal or sitting next to each other in the comfortable chairs in the rec. People noticed that they never really spoke when they were together. They just ate or sat in silence, both of them usually reading something on separate padds. If others joined them they become sociable again, but when it was just the two of them it seemed like they didn't need words. Other than that no one ever seemed to see them together, but there was some kind of a relationship there. No one could deny it. Bones was less gruff with Chekov than with anyone else. No one could make Bones laugh like Chekov could, simply by speaking his mind. There was a marked change in both of their behavior patterns. None of them had ever realized just how uncomfortable Chekov was around them until he began to relax and he was able to form true friendships with the others as he had formed with Hikaru. Dr. McCoy was still gruff, still grumpy, but the smiles and bursts of laughter that had been so rare before came more often now and there was less discontent, less depression on his face. The command crew was grateful on both counts. The rest of the crew was grateful that McCoy seemed happier. It made him marginally easier to deal with. Marginally.

After a couple of months Jim finally worked up the courage to ask Bones about his relationship with Chekov. He would never admit it, but he was a little bit jealous. He and Bones had been best friends since they started the academy. He knew that they were still best friends and that it was only natural that they would gain new friends in their lifetimes, but it still felt wrong that he didn't understand what had happened to make Bones and Chekov such good friends. He was being a little hypocritical, he knew. He himself was forming new friendships, including a close one with Spock; he shouldn't expect Bones to have to explain his friendship with Pavel. And yet he did. After a few drinks, Jim finally gathered his courage and just asked.

Bones was just drunk enough that he had looked down into his glass and muttered, "I just don't want to be one more person in his life…one more thing that makes his life harder for him. He's only seventeen, Jim. Just a kid. Not all that much older than JoJo. And he's had such a hard time of it, a little bit like you. His mother died giving birth to him. His father never got over how much he looked like her, beat him every day, nearly killed him a couple of times. When someone finally figured it out he got sent to live with his grandmother. He loved her and she loved him with everything she had, but she'd finished raising her kids years before and she was tired. He was loyal to a fault and stayed with her when he could have been trying to make new friends. The only things he had were his studies and his grandmother. Under her encouragement, he worked hard. But, of course, he's smart. So smart. Smarter than any of us. That didn't endear him to anyone his own age, of course. He applied to Starfleet at thirteen. His grandmother passed three days before he left and then he was completely alone. He was at the academy the same time we were, Jim. You remember ever see him out and about or anything like that?"

"No, I don't," Jim answered simply. He didn't know how Bones knew so much about the young man, but he didn't question. He was learning more about his navigator than he ever had before and more about Bones by extension. Bones didn't often speak so much at one time and he didn't want to risk him clamming up again.

"That's because he never went out except for classes, Jim! No one wanted to be around the thirteen year-old prodigy who had never even had a friend his own age. He didn't know how to talk to someone like a kid should. He charmed his professors by the respect he showed them and the conversations he was able to have with them. They were even more charmed when they saw how hard he worked, how smart he was. The people on the navigation track hated him because he screwed up the curve. All he did was study! Of course he scored highest on the fucking tests! Poor kid had to learn to run fast just to keep from getting beat on a regular basis. Good thing he loves to run, but he couldn't always get away, not even close. But there was no one there to protect him. No one was ever there for him. He needs someone…a mentor…a friend…a…"

"A father, Bones?" Jim attempted to channel Spock and raised an eyebrow. It was a relief to Jim to know that Bones wasn't jumping into bed with their resident jailbait. He had his theories about Chekov's apparent lack of sexual preference, but if Bones had begun to show interest in men…it would have changed a lot of his conceptions of his best friend. Now that he knew Chekov and Bones weren't so relaxed around each other because they were sleeping together, it didn't take much of his considerable intellect to realize that the thing that had hurt Bones the most when he had divorced from his wife was the loss of his little girl. Jim had seen Bones with JoJo after he had finally regained at least partial custody and he knew, instinctively, that Leonard McCoy was built to be a father. Next to being a doctor, it was the thing he was best at. He loved his little girl with all his heart and she adored him in return. If Pavel Chekov needed someone in his life to be a father figure he couldn't have done any better than Leonard McCoy.

"Fuck, I don't know. Maybe," He ran a hand through his hair and knocked back the rest of his drink. The next morning he cursed Jim in his mind. Both for letting him drink as much as he had and for getting so much out of him that Pavel had shared with him in confidence. But, Jim was loyal to a fault and Leonard knew he didn't have to worry about anything he said going any further than Jim's quarters. Still, he called Jim down to the medbay for an inoculation later that day just for the hell of it and felt much better.

After a few months the new friendship and the new behavior patterns of the doctor and the navigator became common place on the ship and so when McCoy suddenly began to growl at everyone, even Chekov, and Pavel looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment the entire crew noticed and worried. Both men began to look at if they weren't sleeping at all and neither of them could be found when they weren't on shift. It was only after trying to force Bones out of his office for lunch so that they could talk and he could find out exactly what had crawled up Bones' butt and if it had anything to do with what was upsetting their young navigator that Jim discovered that when not on shift both Bones and Pavel holed themselves up together in Bones' office or one of their quarters. He used his captain's override to get into the office that Bones had locked and came upon the doctor pulling a blanket up over the shoulders of Pavel, sleeping on the couch that was kept there for the occasional consultation Bones had to have with his patients. There were obvious tear tracks on Pavel's face and Bones looked more raw than Jim had seen him since his first few months at the academy. Bones didn't notice him, he was too concentrated on the young man whose hair he was stroking as he knelt next to the couch, so Jim left without a word. His curiosity was burning, but he knew that neither of his officers, two of his best officers at that, would keep anything from him that would put his crew or his ship in danger. Obviously a problem with each other wasn't causing their upset. For once in his life, he decided to be patient. He would wait until the doctor and the navigator came to him with their problem, whatever it was. He didn't realize at the time that just two weeks later he would get more explanation than he cared for.

It was just another day on the bridge. Nothing had happened all day that gave Jim warning that by the time the day was over his sense of reality would be thrown upside down and stomped on. He was bored out of his mind. They had been doing nothing but mapping the stars for five days and they were all bored out of their minds, even Spock though he would never admit it. So Kirk allowed the little slips in protocol. Spock was leaning against the console next to his lady love. Both of their faces betrayed nothing though he was sure they were speaking quietly on topics that had nothing to do with the _Enterprise_ and he was glad for it. Spock and Uhura both worked entirely too hard. Though both of them were too professional to reach out to each other when they were on the bridge, he was glad they seemed at least a degree of relaxed. Scotty was on the bridge and he and Sulu were engaged in the repair of something or other Kirk couldn't work up the energy to find out about. He wasn't sure that it wasn't that Scotty was fixing the console and Sulu was just badgering him, but they were both smiling as they spoke, so he didn't worry about it. Jim himself didn't even have his yeoman around to talk to. He had signed everything he could in the past three days, so what else was there to do until another order came through from Starfleet? Jim was so grateful he could almost cry when Chekov stood to stretch his legs and walked over to him to make conversation. Pavel had been looking better in the past couple of days. He seemed to be sleeping again though they still worried at the fact that he wasn't eating as he should. There was less strain on his young face, something they were, again, grateful for. He seemed a little pale to Jim as he walked toward the command chair, but Jim didn't think anything of it.

"Hey, what's up, Chekov?" He smiled.

Chekov smiled back and opened his mouth to answer when his face suddenly paled further. He closed his mouth and set a hand to his forehead, beginning to sway slightly. Jim called his name once, twice, then lunged out of his chair as Chekov's eyes rolled back in his head and his knees gave out. Kirk caught him before he could hit his head and swooped him up in his arms. The others gathered around him, holding Chekov, but they were smarter than to crowd. They simply wanted to make sure that their youngest was alright, much as Kirk did.

"Spock?" he asked, looking up at his first. He raised an eyebrow at the way Nyota's hand rested against Spock's arm, but Spock chose to ignore it.

"Respiration, heart rate, and temperature are normal, Captain," Spock said after looking over the young ensign, "He has fainted." A general sigh of relief went up from those gathered and they all seemed to relax as one. Chekov was going to have to deal with some teasing when he woke up, Kirk knew, but it was well deserved. After all, who fainted on the bridge? And a dead faint at that! If Kirk knew Chekov like he thought he did, he wouldn't be waking up until he was good and ready, so they couldn't just wait for him to do so. He began moving to the turbolift.

"I better get him down to medical so Bones can wake him up. Mr. Spock you're in charge."

"Aye, Captain."

No one said anything as he carried the unconscious young man through the ship, though there were plenty of questions in their eyes. He was sure the rumors would be flying in less than an hour. Perhaps he would start a couple of them himself. Pavel swooned when he tried to express his love for Kirk or when Kirk tried to express love for him. Kirk had worked him into exhaustion and was carrying him through the ship because of his guilt. There were endless possibilities and each one was more entertaining than the last. He was chuckling as he walked into sick bay.

"What the hell happened?" Bones roared, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Relax, Bones," Jim said quickly, "He just fainted. I caught him before he even hit the floor. There's nothing wrong with him. You just need to bring him around and we'll both get back to the bridge."

"No, I'll bring him around and you'll allow him to take the rest of the day!" Bones was still shouting as he led Jim to a biobed and motioned for him to lay Pavel down, "You work this to the bone, Jim! You need to be more aware of what the hell you're doing to him!"

"What I'm doing to him?" Kirk scoffed, " Bones, weren't you the one who told me, not even six months ago, that he was an officer of Starfleet, damn it, and to start treating him like one?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes!" Bones had gone from yelling to growling as he scanned Pavel and Jim was glad for the improvement, "But, someone in his condition…Jesus, Jim, you need to think!"

"What condition?" Jim asked.

Bones didn't have any time to answer as Chekov chose that moment to start coming around. He moaned a little and his eyelashes began to flutter. Jim just crossed his arms and looked down, quizzically, as Bones took one of Chekov's hands in his own and ran his thumb comfortingly over his knuckles. Pavel's eyes opened slowly and he took a moment to focus on the ceiling over him. They watched his face go from puzzlement to understanding in just a moment and he turned his head to Bones.

"What happened, Leonard?" Jim raised an eyebrow at Chekov's use of McCoy's given name.

"You fainted on the bridge, Pavel." The other eyebrow went up.

"Fainted?" Chekov asked. He looked back up at the ceiling for a moment, and then sat up quickly, setting a hand to his abdomen. Jim moved, to do what he didn't know, but froze at the next words, "Leonard, my child?"

"The baby's fine, Pavel, promise," Bones stood and took Pavel's shoulders gently to lay him back down, "I did a full scan while you were out. It's fairly common for a…for someone to faint in the early stages of pregnancy. You've been taking your prenatal vitamins?"

"Every day."

"Good. But, you need to eat better and make sure you're getting enough sleep. You're doing everything for two right now, kid. If you're not going to do it for you…" He trailed off and set a gentle hand to Pavel's abdomen.

"I will eat better and sleep more," Pavel lowered his eyes under the gentle admonishment, then he sighed gently and looked back up at McCoy with flushed cheeks and an expression of embarrassed guilt, "I am a little tired."

"Well, you sleep a little right here then," Bones' tone was how Jim imagined he used to speak to Johanna as he tucked a blanket up around Chekov, "Captain's given you the rest of the day. When you wake up we'll get something to eat. Sound good?"

"Very good," Chekov said around a large yawn. He was asleep before he could say another word. Jim opened his mouth to speak, but Bones held up a hand.

"I know, Jim, I know," He murmured as he ran a hand over Pavel's hair, "Come into my office and I'll tell you everything. He needs to sleep."

Jim waited until the door was shut to release what he'd wanted to say for the last five minutes, "What the hell is going on, Bones? Baby? What baby? How the hell could Chekov get pregnant? Is Chekov pregnant?" He paused to breathe and McCoy took that moment to get a word in.

"Yes, Jim. Ensign Chekov is pregnant. If you'd sit your fool ass down and shut up I'll tell you exactly how the hell it happened."

Since he was more interested in knowing exactly how the impossible had happened, for once Jim did just as Bones said and tossed himself into one of the chairs on the far side of Bones' desk. He watched in silence as Bones moved to his own chair and practically collapsed into it. He was nearly bursting with his curiosity as Bones pulled out the bottle of bourbon he kept in the bottom drawer of his desk and two glasses. It seemed to Kirk that he was purposefully taking his time as he poured them both a healthy drink, pushed one of the glasses toward Jim and drained his in one go. He poured himself another drink and sat back in his chair.

"After the Eugenics Wars genetic engineering was virtually halted, except in the field of pregnancy. Genetic engineering started being applied to trouble pregnancies first to help a woman who otherwise couldn't be a mother carry to full term. It's still applied today to make sure babies are healthy. We can correct blindness, deafness, and most mental deficiencies. There are very few unhealthy babies born anymore. Did I ever tell you why Chekov's father claimed he hated him so much?"

"No," Jim could feel how heavy the air was. He knew this wasn't going to be something he wanted to hear, but that he needed to hear it anyway.

"Nadia Chekov, Pavel's mother, and his father, Andrei, tried to have a baby for years and years, but her body would never support it. Her body just wasn't strong enough for it. Her body was right. Genetic engineering helped her to carry Pavel to term, but it couldn't help with the delivery. The pregnancy had worn on her too much. There was simply nothing they could do to save her life. She died ten minutes after giving birth, just long enough for her to name Pavel and whisper how much she loved him. Andrei would tell Pavel again and again over the next six years that he had killed his mother as he beat him senseless. Just a little boy, Jim! Who could beat someone so bright, so innocent, and so loving? Pavel still hasn't stopped believing his words. I'm not really sure if he ever will."

"Bones…this is helping me understand Pavel a lot better, but it still doesn't explain…"

"I'm getting to it, Jim. Don't rush me."

"Sorry."

"Shut up." He swallowed down the rest of the liquor in his glass and pushed it away, "The bastard who helped Nadia Chekov carry Pavel didn't stop there. He wanted to see how far he could push it. He wanted to see how much he could change the body of the fetus in the womb. Pavel was engineered to be small for Nadia's sake. He'll probably always be small. That bastard put an experimental brain altering drug in him. It's a miracle it made him more intelligent instead of crippling the development of his mind. But, it did make him intelligent. Off the charts intelligent. More than you or even Spock. I don't think any of us really understands just how smart Pavel is. His mind is always working. It never stops, even when he's sleeping. He's so happy now though; I think his mind has slowed a little because he has room for other things. Anyway, this jerk-off didn't care how any of these things would affect Pavel. Most of the things he did he did just to see if he could. If the things he did hadn't been so ethically wrong they would be considered brilliant. He made him fertile, Jim, and gave him a uterus so he could carry a fetus to term."

"But, he's still male?" Jim's mind caught.

"Of course he's still male. The man had a sick sense of humor. Pavel can only get pregnant through anal intercourse. Damn it all to hell!"

"What's wrong?" Jim almost jumped up to go around the desk and takes Bones by the shoulder. He had slammed his hands into the desk, and then buried his face in them. His shoulders were shaking with emotion and Jim was afraid that he was crying, but his eyes were dry when he looked up.

"I told him to go," Bones chuckled dryly, darkly, "When we had shore leave on Argellius II. We'd been bitching one day, just shooting the breeze, when he let it slip out that he was still a virgin."

"Bones, since when do you shoot the breeze with Chekov?" Jim almost laughed.

"Jesus, Jim, he's just a kid," Bones rolled his eyes, "He's so mature, so smart, that I think we all sometimes forget that. Sometimes he just needs to bitch with someone. I'm a cold, grumpy bastard, Jim, but I'm not heartless. If he needs to bitch, I can lend an ear. It's not that hard."

"I know you're not heartless, Bones," Jim rolled his glass between his hands and didn't look at McCoy, knowing where this was going and trying to keep his temper down until McCoy had finished explaining everything, "So, what happened?"

"I told him that on Argellius II there are places that will cater to any sexual appetite. Pleasure is their business. I knew they'd take care of him gently, make him feel good. I didn't know he was into men. I didn't know yet about what that bastard had done to him before he was even born. There shouldn't have been anything that could go wrong. All those who service on Argellius II are fully tested. To help him out I tested him too and sent him on his merry. When he got back he was much more relaxed. You remember when he went around grinning? It made me laugh. Three weeks after that shore leave he came to me… said he was getting sick in the mornings, he was always tired, and his head and his back hurt. In the course of trying to find out what was wrong with him I found markers in his DNA for genetic manipulation. No one had ever looked hard enough. I was afraid something had gone wrong in his genes, that they were breaking down or some such thing. I was afraid he was dying."

"But, he wasn't?"

"Of course not. I ran every test I could to find out what was happening. Every test. Found out he wasn't dying. He wasn't even sick. You have no idea how shocked I was when the pregnancy test came back positive. When it did, I did everything I could to deny it, but…I did a complete physical, took some captures of his abdomen, and found a fully formed uterus with a growing fetus. He's a brave kid. More than brave. It's all been so hard on him, but he doesn't complain. Not even one word. Even when he was still deciding if he wanted to keep the baby or not."

"When did he decide?"

"Just a couple of days ago."

"So, that's why he's been looking better."

"Better. Still not perfect. Not as good as I want him to be looking."

"Why wasn't I told?" Jim's voice took on a dangerous low edge. Leonard looked up. Jim was still in his chair, his hands folded on his lap. He was angry, Bones realized, and could only wonder as to which element of the story had upset Jim so. He knew he wouldn't have to wait long for Jim to tell him and he didn't, "Why wasn't I told that one of my best officers was going through what has got to be one of the hardest times anyone can go through? Why the hell wasn't I told sooner that he was pregnant? I've had him down on dangerous planets since the last shore leave! What were you two thinking, keeping something like this from me?"

"He's scared out of his mind, Jim! He's scared you'll send him back to Earth where he has no friends, no family and he'll have to go through this alone! He's scared he'll be dishonorably discharged! He's scared he won't survive his pregnancy. It's not like it happens all the time! He has nightmares every night. He wakes up screaming and comes to my rooms so I can help him calm down. He's scared that, even if everything goes text book perfect with his pregnancy and his delivery, that something will be wrong with the baby. He's not going to give it up, Jim. He loves the baby more than anything already. God, I just pray that his body is stronger than his poor mother. I've warned him about all the risks, but even if it costs him his life he won't give up his baby. As for me, I'm scared shitless, too. I'm scared for him, for the baby, and scared that when it comes time, I'll fail them both. I didn't act rationally and professionally and I know it, but nothing about this situation is rational or professional. That's all I can tell you, Jim. It's all I can say."

Bones, who had stood during the course of his impassioned speech, collapsed back into his chair and grabbed the bottle from his desk to drink from it directly. When he finally looked up, Jim was just looking back at him, unblinking. But, now his eyes were filled with compassion. He stood, walked around the desk, and clapped a hand on Leonard's shoulder.

"It's okay, Bones. I get it. You should have had more faith in me, though. Both of you should have. He's one of the best officers in the fleet, Bones. If you think I'm going to let anyone, even Starfleet, get him off this ship, you're nuts. He'll stay here and we'll all make sure he gets through this. And when the baby comes we'll find a way for him or her to stay here, too. They'll have a place here, Bones, for as long as they want it. I'll keep in close contact with you about him over the next few months. You'll let me know how he's doing medically. Let me know if he needs more rest, less work, anything. I know he'll want to keep working. I want him to keep working, but I don't want to overwork him…not in his condition. I'm going back to the bridge now. Tell Chekov everything will be okay when he wakes up. I'll let him tell everyone else in his own time. I think that's the best course of action, don't you?"

"You know, Jim, sometimes you sound like a grown man." And Bones grinned.

"Just one more question, Bones. If Pav can only conceive through anal s…intercourse, is he going to deliver…"

"And just like that you're an infant again," Bones growled, just as Jim ducked out of his office laughing. Bones had just begun to chuckle as well when Jim stuck his head back in.

"But seriously?"

"No, Jim! I'm not going to let us find out! When he gets close we'll deliver by cesarean! Now get the fuck out!" His brow furrowed in annoyance as Jim left laughing, but he allowed himself to chuckle as he went to wake Pavel so they could get something to eat.

The stress of keeping his pregnancy a secret for nearly two months had taken its toll on Pavel and Leonard was grateful now that that stress was off of the young man's shoulders. He began to eat again and he was sleeping better. The dark circles under his eyes began to fade and he seemed happier, more at peace with himself and his situation now that he knew he wouldn't be going anywhere against his will. Leonard was glad for all of it because he knew the stress hadn't been good for Pavel or the baby. He knew there was just one more hurdle to be overcome. He still had to tell the others, but neither Leonard nor Jim was going to press him. They let him go about it his own way. With Uhura it just sort of slipped out while they were having dinner together in the mess, something they did every now and again. Nyota was laughing at something Pavel had just told her. As she was wiping her eyes and getting her breathing under control again, he just whispered it without realizing that he'd even thought it.

"I'm sorry?" She blinked at him once, slowly. He repeated it once more, in the same whispered tone. She blinked again.

"You're serious?"

"I am." Neither of them spoke for a very long minute. Nyota just kept staring at him. It lasted so long that he had to look down, a blush staining his cheeks. He twisted his hands around each other in his lap and bit the inside of his cheek, trying to hold back the tears and sniffles that were building and threatened to overwhelm him. Suddenly his head snapped up when Nyota squealed and threw her arms around him.

"Oh!" She laughed in ear, "I don't know how it happened. I don't know how it's even possible, but it's obvious you want your baby and that makes me so happy for you! Congratulations!" She pulled away and he was amazed into speechlessness when she put a hand behind his head and kissed him briefly, firmly, on his mouth, then set her hand to his still flat belly, "You're really going to have a baby?" He could only nod, "We're going to have so much to do! You have to let me throw you a baby shower! Will you let me throw you a baby shower?" He nodded, mutely, again, "And of course we're going to have to get to a star base or something, maybe even Earth, so that we can get clothes, a bassinet, toys…I suppose it's too early to know what the baby's sex is, huh? Never mind. We can pick a neutral color, green or yellow or something. Oh, Pav, I'm so excited for you!"

Pavel looked at her once more and burst into tears. Her hands fluttered around him nervously. She muttered in what he was sure was at least five different languages as she tried to find some way to comfort him. He smiled at her brightly when he was able to control himself and finally got three words out of his mouth, three words that made her smiled and hug him again because they were so full of relief and genuine gratitude for her words and actions.

"Nyota…thank you."

He told Spock in the turbolift as they were both on their way to the bridge for their shift, "Mister Spock, I would appreciate it if, for the next few months, I am assigned only Alpha shift. Doctor McCoy says I must keep a regular eating and sleeping schedule for a healthy pregnancy. He doesn't want me to take any chances. I've requested it officially with a recommendation from the doctor, but I wanted to make sure I requested in person."

"Yes, I received your request this morning, Ensign," Spock had just read it, in fact, and had almost smiled when Nyota wrapped her arms around him and sighed how wonderful it was in his ear. He was surprised, naturally, but he had known that it wasn't a joke when he had read McCoy's report. It was not unusual to come across species that reproduced in different manners and though it was unusual for a human male it was not unheard of, "It will be taken care of. Please inform me if your needs change. They will be accommodated."

"Thank you, Mister Spock."

"And, Ensign…" He turned to Chekov as they stepped onto the bridge. The young man paused in his path to his seat and looked at Spock.

"Congratulations."

Pavel smiled and thanked him.

When he told Scotty he was amazed at the reaction. Scotty made him sit down right away and asked it he needed anything, if he was feeling alright, and pulled his feet into another chair. He obviously either had not been around a pregnant female before, much less a pregnant male, and he had no idea how to react or he was simply a dramatic man not used to dealing with someone in "delicate condition." When Scotty began pacing and running a hand through his hair nervously Pavel decided it was the latter. Pavel insisted he was fine and tried to get up, but Scotty pushed him back down, gently, and insisted that he call up to McCoy to find out that Pavel really was fine to walk back to his own quarters. Keenser was his saving grace. He was strong for a little guy, stronger than any of them, maybe even Scotty, knew and he pushed Scotty into the chair Pavel had pulled his feet from. Pavel thought it was a smile Keenser gave him as he offered a hand to help him up, though he didn't yet need it, and patted his belly gently.

"Little," Keenser said simply.

"Yes," Pavel smiled. Keenser gave one last pat and was off.

"I promise I am fine, Mister Scott. I feel good. I feel wonderful," Pavel smiled at him.

"Aye, lad, you do look happy and…glowy…at that. Sorry for over reacting. I don't have much experience in things like this. When my sister was pregnant I was a more of a mess than her husband." He laughed weakly and Pavel joined him.

"I have a good seven months before you have anything to worry about. Thank you, though. I…" He lost his grasp on Federation Standard for a moment and fought to get it back, "I am so happy to have friends…family…with me right now and in the coming months." Tears of appreciation and love filled his eyes.

"Don't start that, lad!" Scotty said quickly, jumping up. Pavel almost laughed when he saw tears in Scotty's eyes, "I have sympathetic tear ducts, I do. And I'll be damned if you, or anyone else sees me cry over anything but my lady here."

Pavel was pushed out of engineering faster than he could think. He laughed all the way back to his quarters.

He told Sulu just a few hours later that same day after he'd met Leonard for dinner. He searched him out in the onboard greenhouse, where Sulu could often be found, helping to take care of the many plants on board. He stepped into the hot air, heavy with moisture and breathed in the calm he felt in this room and always had. He loved being in space more than anything, but at the same time he loved being among growing things. He loved the smell of the freshly turned soil and the water that sprayed down on the plants. Sulu always smelled of these things, Pavel thought fondly. He could feel the sweat beginning to form on his forehead and smiled at the feeling. It was something he didn't mind at all.

He also knew that Sulu felt more comfortable here than any other place on board so it would be best to tell him the news while he was here and comfortable. He found Sulu tending to the roses he loved. He paused a moment to watch Sulu using an ancient technique called grafting, if he remembered correctly, to create a new breed of rose. It was more of an art form, really that had been passed onto Sulu by a former master who had learned it from a former master himself. Chekov marveled that they had a real living master on their ship and never really recognized it as he watched Sulu working effortlessly, confidently. He wondered what this flower would look like. When they had first begun their five year mission Sulu had created a breed of black rose spotted with silver he'd named _Beautiful Enterprise_ for the ship. It was Pavel's favorite flower in the universe and it grew exclusively in this greenhouse. He stopped by the rose bush and sniffed delicately.

"Be with you in a moment, Pav," Sulu called quietly, not turning away from his work. Pavel moved to the workstation and leaned one hip against it, waiting patiently. He wondered how Sulu always knew it was him. Sulu finished his current graft and turned to look at Pavel, a small smile on his face, "Oh, no. I know that face. You have something to say and you're not sure how to say it. What's up?"

Pavel swallowed hard. Sulu had very quickly become his best friend when they had begun this mission, his first friend if he was honest with himself. He was more nervous about telling Hikaru than he had been about anyone else. He didn't think he could stand it if Hikaru saw him as strange, unnatural. He set a hand to his abdomen instinctively. He loved his baby more than anything, but he would be deeply saddened if he lost Hikaru's friendship because he couldn't accept what had happened to Pavel. But, perhaps he wasn't giving Hikaru enough credit. He had to tell him to find out what his reaction would be at all.

"When you graft your roses, Hikaru, you are like…a father to them?"

"That's a little colorful, Pav, but sure. I create new breeds. I'm like a father, I guess. Why? What does that have to do with anything? What's going on? Are you okay?" Sulu couldn't quite tell what it was on Pavel's face, but there was something there that hadn't been there before. Were his features softer? Were his eyes brighter? There was something important about how Pavel was acting, but he couldn't quite understand it yet.

"I am fine," Pavel rubbed his growing child gently once again and forced the words out around the nerves in his throat, "Soon…I will be a papa."

Sulu started to laugh, then cut himself off when he saw the stricken look on Pavel's face. "I'm sorry, Pav, I thought you said…" His words trailed off as he saw Pavel's hand resting lightly on his abdomen, rubbing gently. More than that, the look in Pavel's eyes, complete love and hope, convinced him. He was glad he was sitting down or his knees surely would have given out. He could see it now. Pavel did look beautiful, radiant. It seemed a cliché, but he couldn't describe it any other way. Pavel was going to have a baby.

"How?" he asked when he had found his voice again.

"My physiology was altered as a fetus," Pavel explained gently, "I am male, but fertile. It was an accident."

"But, you want this child?" That was the most important thing. If Pavel wanted the baby who was Hikaru to say anything against it?

"Very much." Those two words spoke more to Sulu than any others could. Pavel loved the baby growing inside of him. Sulu swallowed around the emotion that had gathered in his throat with difficulty and clenched his hands into fists to keep him from reaching out to touch. It was the hardest thing he'd had to do in a long time. Pavel was just so beautiful in that moment, gazing down at where his hand met his belly with love and adoration. Not that he wasn't always beautiful, but…no it was better not to go there. He didn't want to disappoint himself or make Pavel uncomfortable.

"What's going to happen now, Pav?" He asked quietly.

"Captain Kirk said that he will find a way for us to stay. He promised."

"If Kirk says you're not going anywhere, you're not going anywhere, Pav. Not even if Starfleet orders it. He'll find a way to work around it. He's the most stubborn man I've ever met."

"And the most loyal," Pavel defended the man who had become his hero in the past week with a lifted chin and a stubborn mouth.

"And the most loyal," Sulu agreed with a smile, and then looked down again, "Pav, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but could I…" Without hesitation Pavel reached out and took Sulu's hand to set it on his as of yet still flat abdomen. Sulu rubbed gently along with Pavel and then surprised them both by slipping from his stool slowly and laying his ear against the same place. He would have gotten up, too embarrassed to speak, if Pavel hadn't just sighed, leaned over him a little and set one hand to his hair and one hand to his shoulder.

"There's really a little person in there."

It wasn't a question, but Pavel answered anyway, "Yes, there is." For just a moment, Pavel allowed himself to dream that Sulu loved him and the baby in his womb was theirs. It was a beautiful dream, but he pulled back just a little, placing both hands platonically on Sulu's shoulders, before he could embarrass himself further.

Hikaru looked up at him and smiled a real true smile that reached his eyes, "Wow."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do for a nursery?" Nyota asked a month later while she and Pavel sat in his quarters in their Starfleet issue pajamas eating ice cream from the food processor while they watched a holo of the latest romantic comedy that had made it to the _Enterprise_. It had been released on Earth just after they had started their five year, but it was new to them. As the hero and the heroine were decorating their apartment it hit Nyota that she didn't know if Pavel had made any plans at all.

"Captain Kirk is going to issue me larger quarters," Pavel said happily, "Married officer's quarters. I'll have a second room for a nursery. He said when we get to Earth he's going to issue a day pass for all non-essential crew while the upgrades are made to the computer systems. I was going to shop then."

"Oh, okay." It seemed he had everything under control. She didn't know why the thought made her a little sad.

"But, I have it on very good authority, Mr. Spock's authority, that you and I will be on the non-essential personnel list. I was hoping you would come shopping with me, Nyota. I could use your help?" The last sentence came out as a question, but was buried when Nyota threw her arms around him and squealed.

Three days later found them wandering down the streets of San Francisco arm in arm happily laughing as they drank up the warmth of the sun and enjoyed the opportunity to wear something other than their uniforms. They both knew that they only really had this one day guaranteed to buy everything Pavel would need for his baby's room. There might be another shore leave before the baby came, but they never knew what might happen when they were in space. Even if they did have another shore leave it might be on a star base or a planet where they didn't have anything for infants. So, they had started early in the day and, though they had been out for nearly six hours already they were still going strong. They had already chosen both a cradle and a bassinet that they both loved. They'd picked up everything he would need from bottles to cloth diapers. Why Pavel insisted on cloth Nyota had no idea, but she didn't argue. One didn't argue with a pregnant teenager who was having a very hard time indeed keeping his raging hormones under control. They had picked up everything necessary and now it was time for what Nyota called "the fun stuff."

"In here!" She dragged him into a small, charming boutique and directly to the corner where tiny clothes and socks resided.

"How sweet," she sighed, picking up a tiny sleeper in a soft light green, "I suppose there's no way to know if you're having a boy or a girl yet, is there?"

"It's too soon," he smiled and picked up a pair of small socks, trying to ignore the tears that jumped into his eyes. It was much too soon in his pregnancy for him to be so sentimental, "And I don't think I want to know, anyway. I want it to be a surprise."

"Me, too," Nyota set the sleeper against his abdomen, and then grinned, "Come on, Pav. Let's buy them out." He grinned in return. He loved his friends.

"Heard you and Uhura went shopping a couple of weeks back for the nursery," Bones murmured as he felt around Pavel's softly rounded abdomen gently. His instruments had already told him that Pavel was healthy and strong and so was the child in his womb, but with such an unusual state of things he just wanted to make sure in every way available to him that all was going according to plan with the young man's pregnancy.

"Nearly a month ago now," Pavel said quietly, "I haven't even had time to unpack the bassinet or put it together. And I just realized today that I have forgotten toys to place in the cradle with the baby."

McCoy chuckled. He didn't tell Pavel, as he had promised not to, but the baby shower Nyota was planning was already the talk of the ship. He had it on very good authority that those attending would come bearing gifts from both themselves and those who would not be in attendance. Pavel had nothing to worry about. But, there was more on Chekov's mind than a missing stuffed toy, Bones could tell. His eyes were nearly closed and he sighed heavily as McCoy completed his biweekly examination.

"Something else wrong, Ensign?"

"No," Pavel sat up and sighed again, "Yes."

"What is it?"

"I am beginning to wonder, doctor, if I have made the right decision."

McCoy's eyes went wide, "What? In keeping the baby?"

"No!" Pavel's eyes went wide and his voice sharp, "No, I want this baby! I just wonder if I am not being selfish in wanting to stay here on the _Enterprise. _ It is going to be hard enough to raise a baby. What if something were to happen?" McCoy noticed that Pavel's hand moved to his belly instinctively and he rubbed the slight bump gently, "I want to be a good father, Doctor McCoy. I need to be."

_Like my father never was_ was left unsaid between them. McCoy could recognize the tension and fear in his young friend's voice. It wasn't good for Pavel's mental or physical state to be so very uncertain. McCoy didn't want to see him forgetting to eat or not being able to sleep again. He cared for the kid. More than he should have, he admitted. More than was professional by any standards. He looked at Pavel again and sighed. He'd lost Jocelyn because he hadn't been honest with her. If he had only told her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her, perhaps she wouldn't have gone to another man to make her feel wanted. Perhaps they wouldn't have ripped each other apart in their effort not to admit their failure. If he had only been honest and said aloud how much it hurt not to have JoJo in his life Jocelyn wouldn't have moved her across the country and he wouldn't have enlisted in Starfleet because he felt there was nothing left for him. Then again, if he hadn't joined up he wouldn't be here now with Pavel, a boy-almost a man- who was about to become a father without having ever really known a father himself.

"You made the right choice, Pavel," Leonard took Pavel's free hand in both of his own. For a moment they were both a little stiff, a little uncomfortable, but they both forced themselves to relax. They needed something from each other that no one else could give, "It'll be better for you and the baby to be around people who care about you. Your baby is going to have something no child has ever had before, Pavel. He or she is going to have a whole starship to run in, play in, and grow in. This baby right here…" He placed a hand over Pavel's,"is going to have a family of four hundred and twenty-nine aunts and uncles. Sure, sometimes things will get dangerous, but this baby is going to have more people willing to protect it than any other fifty kids in the known galaxy."

"Four hundred and twenty-eight aunts and uncles," Pavel lowered his eyes shyly, "And perhaps…a grandpapa?"

"Grandpapa?" Leonard sputtered for a moment, "Hell, kid, I'm not even old enough to be a father to someone your age, much less a grandpapa."

"I am sorry," Pavel's hands dropped to the biobed and he gripped it until his knuckles whitened, "I made assumption…"

"Let me finish, kid. You just caught me a little off guard. I'm not old enough to be a grandfather. And no matter how much we both might wish it was so, I'm not your father. But, I care about you, more than regulations say I should, and I care about that baby. I'll even say, without exception, that I love you both. So, never minding all of the other bullshit-sorry baby," He patted Chekov's abdomen gently, "I would be honored to be considered your baby's grandpa. And while I don't recommend that you call me 'dad' since we work together and all that, if you tell me you consider me your father I wouldn't mind telling you I consider you my son." He took a deep breath. Sharing feelings so deep and able to hurt them both was hard to do and there was a hard fist of nerves in his chest. He couldn't meet Pavel's eyes until the hand he had set on Pavel's belly was once again covered with smooth, long fingers. He looked up to see Pavel smiling. For a moment, he looked so much older than he actually was and Bones felt his heart tug into a final, complete, right place. He grinned in response.

"And you will call me Pasha sometimes?" Pavel asked.

"Sure, kid. And don't you worry. We'll get the nursery all set up so that it's perfect before the baby comes. Promise."

It was hard to find the time to put together a nursery when you were aboard a starship with the mission of mapping the stars and making first contact with indigenous peoples of newly discovered planets. Pavel frowned as he looked at the barely started room before him. Every day he did his work. He had practically thrown himself into it in the past month, for which Leonard was not happy at all, but when Pavel had explained the situation the good doctor hadn't been able to find a solution to it either. He was beginning to show noticeably now and the crew of the ship seemed to take this as an invitation to place their hands on him whenever they wanted even though they wouldn't be able to feel the baby move for at least several more weeks. It was beginning to wear on Pavel. So, he worked as hard as he could for as long as he could to keep himself occupied and the crew away from him. He began to take most meals in his own rooms. One or more of the command crew usually joined him, so he didn't know why he was so surprised the night Captain Kirk showed up outside his door with two trays of food and a grin plastered across his face.

"Bones said you might need some company for dinner," He said genially, "He's stuck down in sick bay because of that flu that's got a hold of the crew. I'm confining you to quarters until there's a vaccine or until the last crewman down with it is symptom free for at least twenty four hours, by the way."

"But…Captain…" Pavel stuttered as Kirk moved into the room.

"Chekov, this flu is strong. It won't do you or your baby any good to get sick now. It's just a precaution. And Bones is worried about you. You're working too hard. Think of it as a mini vacation, okay? It is no reflection on you. Got that? You've been working enough for five these past few weeks. You deserve and need a break. Take it. I brought spaghetti and meatballs. Hungry?"

Chekov sighed and smiled, "Yes, sir."

The next hour was spent in pleasant light conversation and laughter. Pavel was more relaxed and happier than he'd been in a good few weeks. When Kirk wasn't being his captain and was instead being his friend, Pavel found him to be diverting, thoughtful, and fun. After their dinner was complete Pavel thought he might cry when Kirk asked him if he wanted some help putting together the baby's room. They spent a couple of hours putting together a crib that wasn't as hard as it looked, Pavel discovered. Kirk didn't even find it premature when Pavel wanted to put the sheets on it just to see how they would look.

"It is beautiful!" Pavel clapped his hands together joyfully when they had finished putting together shelves and had put all of the captures and supplies Pavel and Nyota had bought on Earth on them. There was still a marked absence of toys and even clothing, but Kirk didn't worry about it. He was sure that everything else Pavel might need would be gifted to him at the baby shower Nyota had planned. Pavel didn't seem to notice because he was so happy with the room as a whole and Kirk was glad for it. He smiled down at his ensign and clapped him on the back.

"It's great, Chekov. Where do you want this?" He hefted the antique looking wooden bassinet the baby would sleep in for the first few months of life over his shoulder.

"By my bed, please, Captain," Pavel grinned once more at the room before ordering the lights down and following the captain into his room. Tears filled his eyes when Kirk had set the bassinet down. It looked so perfect there. He gasped when he felt a little fluttering in his abdomen.

"Chekov?" Kirk led him to the bed and sat down next to him. When Pavel turned to look at him he almost laughed. He had never seen his captain so very white and scared looking. The same man, who had faced a Romulan mega-ship without blinking, was terrified of his pregnant male ensign and what could go wrong with his pregnancy. Pavel wondered if Leonard had forced Kirk down for dinner and to help him put the nursery together. Somehow, the fact that he was there even though he was terrified made his gesture all the more sweet to Pavel, "Are you okay? Do I need to call Bones? I can call Bones. What do you need? What can I do?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Pavel smiled widely and motioned for Kirk to come back before he could page the doctor, "I am fine, Captain! I felt…the doctor called it a 'quickening.' I felt the baby move. There is really a baby inside of me." Tears started to slip down his cheeks and Kirk moved to him when the tears became sobs. Pavel was grateful that Kirk didn't hesitate to wrap him in his arms and he sobbed on Kirk's shoulder.

"Shh, Pavel, what is it? What's wrong?" Kirk's voice was gentle and quiet as he stroked Pavel's hair.

"Nothing is wrong!" Pavel sobbed, "I have never cried this much in my entire life! I don't know what is the matter with me! I should not be upset! I should not cry! I am happy! I have known for months that I have a life growing in me. Now I feel it. I am happy. So happy. And I cannot stop crying!" He held onto Kirk tightly and Kirk began to chuckle. He rocked Pavel gently.

"Hormones are a bitch, aren't they, Pav?" It was the first time he had ever used a nickname with any of his crew, beside Bones of course, but he was his best friend. And Scotty couldn't count because everyone called him Scotty. He was surprised at how natural it felt, though to address Pavel as a friend, by a nickname. Of course, he knew instinctively that he needed to maintain a professional boundary between himself and his crew, but at the same time, Chekov was going to need as many friends as possible over the next few months and for the rest of his life. He figured they would be able to keep boundaries where they belonged. On the bridge and when they were on shift or a mission he would only be Pavel's captain. When they were in private he could be a friend. He needed to be a friend. He just continued to rock Pavel, smiling, at peace with himself and his decision. He held Pavel until his sobs were sniffles and he felt him relax and make the first movements to pull away. Kirk let him go and grinned back when Pavel gave him a watery smile.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm sorry for messing your clothes."

"No problem, Pav," Kirk got up, ruffled the young man's hair, and moved to gather their trays, "You look tired. Go to bed. I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Couple of days?" Pavel yawned and saw him to the door.

"Yeah. You're still confined to quarters until this flu is over. Night, Pav! Sleep well."

Pavel grinned as the captain ducked out of his quarters and made his way back to his bed slowly. As he prepared himself to sleep, as he laid down and kept a hand on his abdomen, he found he could not stop grinning. A couple of days to relax and simply concentrate on himself and his baby sounded very good indeed. This was the first time being confined to quarters would be a good thing.

All Vulcans shared a latent telepathic link which was why they had all been so damaged at the destruction of their planet and the deaths of their people. The link was stronger now as all Vulcans pulled together to reestablish their race on a new world. Not even Spock was immune to the link of his people and the pull on his mind to be more Vulcan, to feel what the Vulcans felt. On Vulcan children had been rare and therefore treasured. Now that there were so few Vulcans left in the galaxy children were treasured even more so. Spock used the link and these feelings to explain the sudden protectiveness he felt toward Ensign Chekov. Two days after Jim had confined Pavel to his quarters, they were in a battle with Romulans that badly damaged the ship though they won the day. Spock was surprised that his mind went automatically to the ensign as soon as the battle had ended and did not stray from him. He hailed the ensign and felt something seize him, a discomfort that he could not place, when the ensign did not answer.

"Captain, I must ascertain the health of Ensign Chekov," Spock said, feeling an abrupt need to see the ensign himself.

"Sure, Spock," Kirk waved him off, too busy concentrating on the repairs that needed to get underway and throwing commands left and right to see that they did.

"Ensign?" Spock called as he entered an override and the door slid open, "Ensign, are you well?" Spock moved through the outer room, a sense of apprehension he wasn't used to feeling rising in his chest when Chekov didn't answer. The computer had informed Spock that the young man was in his quarters. The fact that he wasn't answering was most…unnerving.

"Ensign, I request that you answer."

Spock found the ensign in the second room, what had been termed the nursery. The room was in utter disarray. Obviously the maintenance crew had not gotten to Pavel's quarters to make sure that everything was secure. Spock would mention a few words to Mister Scott as soon as he ascertained the ensign's health. He was sure as soon as it was mentioned to the chief engineer the problem would be rectified immediately. The engineer was in charge of scheduling the maintenance crews, after all, and he cared for the young ensign and his child. Spock was certain he would rage when he found out that it hadn't been done already. Spock was inclined not to prevent this rage. His breath caught in a manner he was unaccustomed to when a pale hand caught his eye. He followed the hand up the gold covered arm to where he could see no more owing to the fact that the ensign was under the overturned cradle. He was across the room and had turned the cradle right side up again in a moment. The young man could have been sleeping, he mused for only a moment. He was on his side, one hand thrown out, the other curled protectively around his growing abdomen. His breathing was even and normal, as were his temperature and heart rate. Spock did not want to move him yet as his senses could not tell him everything about the human condition. He reached out and touched the still young man's shoulder gently.

"Ensign?" He called more insistently when Chekov did not respond, "Ensign!"

Pavel moaned at the pain in his head and opened his eyes slowly to see Commander Spock looking down at him. He blinked at the commander once, twice, confused, then allowed it when he tried to sit up and Spock insisted on helping him. He looked around the room, still confused, his head swimming. He had been straightening the nursery again, Leonard told him he was in his 'nesting' period, and then…nothing.

"What happened?" He asked after a moment.

"The ship was attacked," Spock said, feeling around Pavel's head. He stopped when Pavel hissed as Spock's fingers brushed against a tender spot. Spock checked his fingers for blood, but was satisfied when there was none. He held up three fingers in front of Pavel's eyes, "How many fingers, Ensign?"

"Three," Pavel answered.

"Any dizziness?"

"Some," Pavel answered honestly, "We should go to the infirmary?"

"Yes. Will you need assistance walking?"

"Thank you, no," He stood slowly and was surprised when Spock did not leave his side as he walked slowly toward the sickbay.

Spock didn't know what it was, but the words he had never intended to say were out of his mouth before he even realized he was going to speak, "Ensign, I have wanted to offer for some time…I can assist you in communicating with your child, should you wish it."

"Communicating with my child?" Pavel asked, not sure if he had heard correctly or if the bump on his head was affecting what he thought Spock had said.

"Vulcans are touch-telepaths, Ensign. Vulcan mothers have always found it very satisfactory to communicate with their children in the womb. My own mother often told me how much she appreciated it when my father assisted her in communicating with me. Should you wish it I offer my services to do the same for you."

"I…Mister Spock…"

"There you are!" Leonard interrupted them as they walked into the sick bay, "If you had taken just five more seconds! Get on the damn bed!"

"Yes, Doctor," Pavel said demurely and sat on the closest bed. He held his breath as Leonard ran the tricorder over his abdomen and began to breathe again when Leonard released his own held breath.

"The baby's fine," Leonard didn't torture Pavel by drawing it out, "Heart rate is good. Everything seems fine. No signs of distress. What happened?"

"I don't know," Pavel admitted, "I was reorganizing the nursery…"

"Again?" Leonard's brow softened and affection entered his voice. Pavel shrugged and smiled.

"I woke up with Mister Spock kneeling over me."

"Spock?" Leonard turned to him, "How was Ensign Cheov when you found him?"

"Unconscious," Spock answered right away, "He awoke without difficulty, however, and showed only slight signs of pain when I examined his skull for injury, though he did admit dizziness."

"Was there any disorientation when he woke?" Leonard was now shining a light in Pavel's eyes and Pavel was trying not to sigh.

"Ensign Chekov inquired as to what had happened, but did not seem unduly disoriented."

"Pavel, you've got a lump on your head that's probably going to give you a headache in a bit, but I don't think you're concussed. Just to be on the safe side, I want you around sick bay for the next few hours so I can keep an eye on you. I don't want to hear it!" He snapped when Pavel opened his mouth to protest, "Now, I don't care if you think I'm treating you like a child or not. You are a child." Bones' heart ached to add, "You are my child," but he didn't and simply carried on with his lecture, "And you are carrying a child and I will treat you however I see fit. Go assist Chapel in bandaging the little hurts or pout in my office. I don't care, but you're staying here."

"Mister Spock," Pavel huffed as he pushed himself off of the bio-bed, then his voice went ice cold, "I would appreciate if you would help me with the subject we discussed earlier. Whenever is convenient for you. If I am ever allowed out of this sick bay, of course." The ice had become venom, but McCoy didn't acknowledge. He just concentrated on filling various hypos.

"I will join you in your quarters after shift change," Spock nodded, then raised an eyebrow at the curt nod Chekov gave him, the daggered glare he gave McCoy, and the way the young man marched toward the CMO's office. If it were possible, Spock was certain Chekov would have slammed the door.

"Fascinating," He murmured, more to himself, "I believe I have just witnessed a 'temper tantrum.'"

"You did," McCoy agreed, "A good one, too. He didn't even acknowledge me."

"On the contrary, Doctor," Spock turned to the man, "He saved a particularly mutinous look for your back."

"I'm sure he did," McCoy laughed bitterly, then set down his hypos and leaned against the bio bed. Spock almost moved to him when the doctor's knees almost gave out, but he caught and steadied himself and breathed out harshly, "Jesus."

"Doctor, are you well?"

"I'm coming down off of adrenaline, Spock. It's the bad thing about having kids. You're scared most of their lives."

"I hadn't realized you felt such a way about the ensign."

"Shit," McCoy ran a hand over his face and looked at Spock with a self-mocking smile on his face, "I wasn't supposed to. I didn't want to. It just happened. I was terrified something had happened to him when we were hit. The only thing that stopped me from going to his room was Jim telling me you had already gone. Why did you go, Spock? It's not like you to leave the bridge after a crisis." McCoy wasn't surprised when the first officer simply clasped his hands behind his back and gazed back at McCoy, his expression calm and collected.

"I can only assume that, with so few Vulcan children, the biological imperative of my race to protect children and those carrying them came into play. I felt…something I have never felt before. There was an urge I could not deny to assure Ensign Chekov's health for myself. I believe it was close to panic. It is an experience I do not wish to repeat."

"Course not," McCoy truly smiled at him then, feeling a true connection with the Vulcan for the first time, "And that other thing he mentioned? The one you're supposed to help him with after shift change?"

"I have volunteered my telepathic services in helping the ensign communicate with his child."

"Oh, really?" The smile widened, "And why did you do that, Spock?"

The eyebrow went up and McCoy had to fight not to laugh, knowing it would probably mortally offend Spock, "In all honesty, Doctor, I am not certain. Now if you will excuse me."

"Of course, Spock. You'd better get back to the bridge and I better go see if I can unruffle some feathers."

Spock turned smartly on his heel. McCoy was right after all. He would be needed on the bridge. As soon as he spoke to Mister Scott about getting the furniture in the Chekov nursery secure he would head there.

It was three hours later that he finally made his way back to Ensign Chekov's quarters. He decided the doctor must have been successful in his attempts to calm the young man's temper as it was McCoy who answered the door and then led him inside.

"Look, whether you know why you volunteered to do this or not," McCoy spoke softly, "Thanks. He needs it right now."

Spock did not know how to respond to the doctor's sincere thanks and simply followed him to where Chekov was sitting on the couch, rubbing his ever growing stomach gently and cooing to his baby in Russian, promising the baby the world. Spock understood the inherent illogic in the ensign's promises to his as of yet unborn child, but found that he understood more the human affection behind them and chose not to mention anything. As soon as Pavel saw him, he smiled and stopped cooing to the baby.

"What do I need to do? How do we go about this?" He asked quietly. Spock marveled at the sweet, accommodating young man who, just hours before, had been stomping and scowling. The ability of humans to change their emotional state so readily when he tried to maintain a lack of one all of his life was a source of constant confusion to him. It was worse, he supposed, for Ensign Chekov, with the constant flux of hormones no male should have to experience.

"I will simply set my hands to you, Ensign, if you do not mind."

"Of course not, Mister Spock," the young man smiled and sat up straighter as Spock knelt in front of him, "Please. I thank you for this again."

"Certainly, Ensign." Spock set his hands to Chekov, slightly amused at how natural it felt. As a touch-telepath he tried not to touch anyone in his life casually. The others on the crew, aside from Nyota-who had his permission to touch him all she liked- and the captain-who didn't care if he had Spock's permission or not-, respected his wishes and did not touch him. It was strange how easily he could reach out to touch Ensign Chekov when it had taken him months to work up to simply running a finger along Nyota's cheek. He assumed it was once again the biological impulse of his people in their current state to cherish each new child as a gift. He concentrated on the child within Chekov's womb and was startled for a moment.

"There is intelligence," He said quietly, "Quite a great deal more than I had anticipated. No words yet, but images, sounds, associated with things that make the child feel comfortable and things that make the child upset. Speak to your child once more, Ensign."

"I…" Pavel hesitated a moment, then smiled and set a hand between Spock's on his belly, "Hello, little one. I am your papa. I am waiting to meet you. I love you very much."

"Yes, Ensign." Spock answered the unasked question, "Your child recognizes your voice. The child feels very safe and much loved when you speak. I would encourage you to do so as often as possible until your time comes."

"Of course he's going to speak to the baby as often as possible, Spock," McCoy growled out around the emotion in his throat at seeing Pavel so happy.

"Amazingly, doctor," Spock lifted an eyebrow, "Your voice makes the child feel secure as well."

"Of course it does, baby," Pavel cooed and rubbed his belly slowly in circles, "That's grandpapa. He loves you very much, too. Don't you, Grandpapa?"

"Jesus, kid!" Leonard groaned, but his hand went to Pavel's abdomen as well, "Bad enough I'm going to be a grandpa. You got to keep emphasizing it like that?"

Spock could feel content from the being in the ensign's womb as the two men began to bicker quietly and without heat. It was something the child was used to, he mused. He didn't think that either McCoy or Chekov realized that they were both brushing his fingers occasionally as they rubbed the swell of Chekov's belly gently and Spock struggled not to pull his hands away. He could feel the love and fear coming off of McCoy. Love for the young man he had taken as his son tinged with embarrassment that Spock knew how strongly he felt, that he'd told him without thinking about it, and fear because no matter how many times he assured himself that nothing would happen to Pavel or the baby he knew exactly everything that could go wrong. He sensed only overwhelming love from Chekov when it came to the child. The ensign was capable of such love, felt such love for his child, Spock swallowed around a regret forming in his throat. If his mother had loved him as much as Chekov loved his child already, and he knew she had, and he had never been able to tell her that he… He closed his eyes for a moment, sure he looked like he was simply concentrating, and got the emotions he wasn't supposed to be capable of feeling under control again. He would discuss them with Nyota later. She always made him feel more confident in himself, more confident in his emotions as well as his logic. He stayed with the doctor and the ensign for a quarter of an hour more, expressing the child's emotions, before offering to do so again and making his escape. He was under control as he walked the halls. He was under control until he entered his quarters and Nyota was there, setting out a dinner for him.

"Hey," She said quietly, smiling. She didn't realize just how beautiful she was, he knew, and that made her all the more beautiful to him, "Didn't know what you were up to this evening. I just thought I'd put this out in case you forgot to eat. I…is something wrong, Spock?" Her eyes went soft and concerned.

"Nyota," He moved swiftly to take her in his arms and buried his face in the juncture of her neck and shoulder as he had done before. He could feel himself shaking with the effort to control his emotions and simply held her, allowing her to stroke his back and murmur into his ear, as he regained his control.

"She knew, Spock," She whispered as he pulled away.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"You only ever get like this when it's about your mother," Nyota smiled again, "And whether you said it or not, I know she knew you loved her."

"Thank you, Nyota," Spock held out two fingers to her and she returned the gesture automatically. He could feel her desire and realized that he'd been neglectful to her needs as of late. The fact that she would ignore them and simply sit at dinner with him as he knew she would only made him want to satisfy her more, to surprise her in some small way by showing her that he was, indeed, half human and knew it. He leaned in and kissed her gently in the human fashion before taking her hand and leading her to his bed.

"Dinner?" She asked.

"Later," he answered, and ordered the lights down.

"Good night?" Jim smirked as he slipped the question in when he passed Uhura's chair later the next day on the bridge and she had the good grace and just enough modesty to look down and blush slightly.

It surprised him when she asked quietly, "It shows that much?"

He decided to take pity on her, "Naw. I just know you guys pretty well. He's relaxed and every once in a while you grin for no reason. I bet Chekov and Sulu know, too. But I wouldn't bet on anyone else picking up on it unless Bones or Scotty come up to the bridge." He suddenly got an introspective look on his face that Uhura wasn't sure she wanted to place, but his words made her soften toward him in the slightest, "Do you think we've all come together too soon? It just feels like we've been doing this stuff forever. In a good way, I mean, but…"

"Kirk?"

"Yeah?"

"You're babbling."

"Sorry." And he grinned at her. She grinned back and was surprised at how natural it felt.

"Maybe it feels like forever because this is what we were always meant to do," Uhura said quietly.

Kirk jerked his chin to where Sulu was just turning to Chekov. You'd have to be an idiot not to see how the pilot felt about the young man. An idiot or a pregnant eighteen year-old, it seemed. It was harder to see in Pavel, he wasn't nearly as obvious as Hikaru in his affections, but they knew he felt the same way. It was in his eyes when he thought no one else was looking. It was in the way he allowed Sulu to keep a hand on his shoulder and the way he reached for Sulu whether he was happy or sad. It made both Kirk and Uhura sad and hopeful at the same time to see the look on Sulu's face. He wanted Pavel so badly. He wanted the baby growing inside of Pavel to be theirs…his…But, he wasn't sure that Pavel would believe it. And Pavel just couldn't see how Hikaru would want him when he thought he was used. Uhura put a hand on Kirk's arm and jerked her own chin at them when Sulu opened his mouth to speak. They held their collective breath and noticed that everyone else on the bridge was doing the same thing. They all knew what was happening. Sulu had turned to Chekov like this at least twice a week for the past year, even before the baby, but he had never actually spoken. Uhura's nails dug into Kirk's arm when Sulu opened his mouth but he didn't notice. They were amazed that the two at the console didn't notice when the crew released their breath at the same time as Sulu began to speak. Jim couldn't help the smirk.

"You think that was always meant too?"

"In every reality," Uhura breathed out on a sigh when her heart ached in the best way at the hope in both the men's eyes, "God, I hope so."

"Hey, Pav?"

Pavel looked over at Sulu and smiled, then his brow furrowed a little in concern. His friend was looking at him with an expression on his face not unlike he had eaten something that disagreed with him. Normally, he would have gotten out of his chair to set a hand to Hikaru's forehead to check for a temperature, but he was seven and a half months pregnant and getting out of his chair to waddle to Sulu only to waddle the three steps back again, was an unappealing prospect. So, he simply reached far over to Sulu's hand and patted it gently. He hoped that if Hikaru were sick he would be smart about it and go see Leonard when their shift ended in a few minutes.

"Are you alright, Hikaru?" He asked gently.

"Fine," Hikaru's voice was high and tight and he looked closer to being sick now. Pavel was debating getting up, no matter how unappealing, when Hikaru smiled at him and cleared his throat.

"I'm fine, Pavel, really. I was just wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight in my quarters."

Pavel smiled, "That would be wonderful."

"Yeah?" Hikaru smiled and let out a big breath, "Great! Nineteen hundred hours okay?"

"Yes, fine."

"Great! Just…great!"

Their replacements shuffled through the doors and Hikaru jumped out of his chair. Pavel was confused when he just disappeared with a promise to see him in a couple of hours. Uhura was at his side a moment later and he forgot how strange it had felt as Leonard met them in the halls and accompanied them to the medbay so that he could have his weekly check-up. Bones was taking no chances now that Pavel was so far along. So far everything had been going text book perfectly which, of course, put Bones on edge.

"Kid, would you hold still? Jesus, you're worse than Jim today. What's got ants in your pants?"

"I'm having dinner with Sulu at nineteen hundred," Chekov couldn't help the grin as Leonard helped him sit up and then helped him off the table.

"Pav," Leonard tried not to sigh and almost succeeded, "I don't want you getting your hopes up."

"Pa…" Pavel stopped himself. No matter what Len had told him, he still wasn't quite sure how comfortable the doctor was with him calling him Papa though that was how he had addressed him in his mind for a month now, "Len, I'm not getting my hopes up." He sighed and leaned against the biobed.

"Son," Len crossed his arms and leaned against the biobed next to Pavel without looking at him, "You are. You deserve to have love and so does that baby and I know you want it to be Sulu more than just about anything, but…I just don't want you to be hurt if what he wants is different than what you want. I can't heal broken hearts, kid. Just please, take it slow, okay? Don't get too disappointed if the only thing he wants tonight is to have dinner."

"And if he wants what I want?" Pavel asked quietly.

"Then, still, take it slow. You're still going to be having a baby, no matter what your relationship status."

"But, you'll be happy for me?" Pavel looked at him for the first time and there was such hope and a kind of bittersweet misery in his eyes that McCoy's heart clenched in the same way it had clenched the first time he'd seen Johanna.

"Damn it, kid," McCoy pulled him into as close a hard hug as Pavel's belly would allow. He stroked a rough hand over the wild curls, "Of course I'll be happy for you. Now, get out of here. I'm sure you want to get ready for your dinner."

"There's a saying," Chapel took the spot against that biobed that Pavel had occupied as the young ensign left and McCoy rubbed a hand over his face, "To have a child is to forever have your heart walk around outside your chest. You're a good man, doctor, and a good father to that boy."

"Yeah," McCoy laughed a little, unsure of what he was laughing at. Chapel flashed him a smile and started to walk away to attend to her duties again. He grabbed her arm before she could get two steps, holding onto her firmly and more gently than she could have imagined at the same time.

"Do you need something, doctor?"

"Len." He said quietly.

"Len." Her voice was quieter.

"Have dinner with me, Chris." It was not a request. She just smiled.

"What took you so long?"

"I'm kind of slow that way," He drawled and smiled when her grin widened.

"Tomorrow," She said, leaving no room for negotiation in her tone, "My quarters. An hour after shift."

"Sounds good." His eyes widened when she leaned in and brushed his lips with her own and he let go of her arm. She smiled at him again and pulled away. They didn't speak of it for the next few hours and when they parted after shift it was with a cordial nod like any other night, but damned if he didn't walk around with a grin on his face for the rest of the evening and most of the next day. The nurses and the rest of the crew agreed it was very disconcerting.

"Hey, Pav," Sulu's grin as he answered his door to let Pavel in made Pavel smile as well, "Come on in. Dinner's almost ready."

"You cooked?" Pavel stepped into the room and stopped, taking a delicate sniff and trying not to show how the scent was making his mouth water. He hadn't had a bite since lunch and he was starving. The baby was always quick to remind him that he was eating for both of him and kicked him. Pavel set a hand to his belly and rubbed gently to soothe. The baby just kicked again.

"Yeah," Sulu set down a covered dish on the small table he had set up in his small quarters, "Took over the kitchen after shift. I made chicken, rice, and vegetables from my grandmother's recipe. I hope that's okay. I wanted to make you borscht or something like that to remind you of home, but I looked up the recipe and it was way out of my league and it would have been too hard to get the ingredients. Sorry." He looked so sheepish that Pavel couldn't help but smile. He moved to Sulu and realized that he wasn't going to be able to keep his unspoken promise to Len. He wasn't going to be able to take it slow. He needed to know now what Sulu thought they were doing. For his own sake and for his baby's sake, he needed to know.

"It smells wonderful," Pavel smiled and set a hand to Sulu's cheek, "And while it was a nice thought, I am glad you did not make borscht. I do not even like borscht. But, it was very sweet of you even to think of it." He closed his eyes and, praying, leaned in close and pressed his lips to Sulu's in a gentle, chaste kiss.

"Oh god," Sulu breathed, "Thank god." Pavel made a sound of surprise that became a sound of pleasure as Sulu pulled him closer, wrapping strong arms around his shoulders, and kissed him. Unlike Pavel's Sulu's kiss was deep and thorough and by the time Sulu saw fit to end it Pavel was forced to hold onto him desperately because his knees were threatening to give out. He laughed a little. This was no way for someone as pregnant as he to be behaving. Sulu seemed to understand. He laughed with Pavel and then helped him sit in one of the chairs at the table.

"I have wanted that for so long," Sulu whispered, kneeling in front of Pavel and holding his hands.

"Why did you wait?" Pavel asked gently.

"It just never seemed to be the right time. First, we were all trying so hard to make sure that Starfleet knew we weren't going to screw up because out crew is so young and everyone else was threatening bodily harm if I made a move on you while you were still underage and when you were finally legal we found out you were pregnant. I didn't want you to think that I was only interested in you because I thought you would need help with the baby, so I was going to wait until after you had the baby, but the same problem would still be there and I finally just decided that it didn't matter anymore cause I still wanted you and I still do and…"

Pavel cut him off with another kiss. Hikaru leaned into it, then broke it suddenly and set his forehead to Pavel's. He closed his eyes and Pavel did the same.

"It won't be easy," Pavel warned, "The baby will always come first."

"I can't promise that it will work out," Sulu responded, "I can only promise to try. Try with you and with the baby. 'Cause I think you're worth it, Pavel. Both of you."

"I…we think you're worth it, too, Hikaru." Pavel admitted, his throat slicked with emotion. Pavel opened his eyes when Sulu pulled away.

"God, you're beautiful," Hikaru ran a finger down Pavel's forehead, over his nose, and traced his lips.

Pavel hated to ruin the moment Hikaru had created, but he wasn't able to hold in his snort, "Please…" He pushed away from Sulu on a laugh and stood, "I have gained twenty five pounds, my face is like dough, and my ankles are swollen."

Hikaru didn't get up but rather moved the few paces on his knees, set his hands on Pavel's belly and placed a gentle kiss to it, "You're pregnant, Pav. That's expected. I still think you're beautiful even if you can't see it," He looked up and smiled to see that Pavel was blushing, "You hungry?"

"Very," Pavel admitted, willing the color and heat in his cheeks to fade..

"Sit back down then. We'll eat, then maybe put on a movie or something. I heard you telling Nyota today how much your feet are hurting. I'll rub them if you want me to."

Pavel's breath caught and he pulled Hikaru to his feet with a strength that surprised even himself and attacked the helmsman's mouth with his own. He allowed his passion to carry them both away and only pulled back when he felt the baby kick in between them.

"What was that for?" Hikaru panted when Pavel finally let him go. He was shocked at the young man's display, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. If that was how passionate Pavel could be in just a simple kiss, he couldn't wait until they could actually make love. It was going to be hard to control himself, but, he reminded himself with an inward sigh, Pavel was worth it and the baby was worth a few more months with only his hand to keep him warm at night.

"You offered to rub my feet," Pavel panted back, his eyes serious and a smile on his lips.

"What do I get if I offer to rub them every day between now and when the baby is born?" Sulu grinned.

"Offer it and see," Pavel raised an eyebrow. Sulu was sure he was taking lessons from McCoy and Spock. It was too much of a temptation, he decided, and so instead just laughed and helped Pavel back to his chair. They ate quietly, hands touching often, satisfied in knowing what they were starting together. They'd have to take it slow, they both knew, but it wasn't something that needed to be said. After their dinner Sulu had a movie that had recently made it to the ship played on his viewscreen as they made themselves comfortable on his bed. Pavel got his promised foot rub and Hikaru's patience and control was sorely taxed as Pavel made noises that were positively sinful as Hikaru placed pressure on just the right points and soothed pain away. After the foot rub Hikaru could hardly say no to Pavel's big eyes and shy voice when he asked if Hikaru wouldn't mind massaging his lower back as well. He hadn't wanted to tell McCoy because the doctor was already so worried about his pregnancy, but he was often in a good deal of pain. His body wasn't built to support his girth and his back was giving him hell. When the back massage was complete they had curled up on the bed together to finish the movie, Sulu spooning Pavel from behind and rubbing his belly gently. It wasn't until the film was finished and Pavel didn't make a move to get up that Hikaru realized the young man, his young boyfriend –the thought made him grin- was sleeping deeply and calmly. He'd been looking so haggard lately that Hikaru just didn't have the heart to wake him and settled in. He fell asleep with his hand linked with Pavel's just over the growing life in Pavel's womb.

"We should slow down," Hikaru murmured against Pavel's mouth as they rode to the bridge in the turbolift the next morning.

"We should," Pavel agreed, twining his arms around Hikaru's neck and deepening the kiss again.

"Seriously," Hikaru pulled back after a moment, "We need to slow down. I don't want to mess this up. I don't want it to be a fire that burns us up and then burns out. I want us to be together for a long time. You, me, and the baby. To do that, Pav, we need to make sure we know each other. Really know each other. I want…"

Pavel placed a finger to his lips. Hikaru really tended to speak too much when he was nervous, "I want it, too, Hikaru. We'll take it slow."

They walked onto the bridge smiling. But, smiling was the last thing Pavel wanted to do a month later when Bones took him off of active duty. It was said that those pregnant tended to glow when their time came near, but Pavel was not glowing. In fact, he looked horrible. He was not sleeping much at all and the dark bags under his eyes had them all sighing when they looked at him. He was so sore that even walking was more difficult than it should ever be for anyone. His body was not built for a pregnancy, something that the man who had created him hadn't even thought of. Bones assured them that it happened with some women as well. It was just as likely that the pregnancy was hard on Pavel because of his size as it was because he was male. His mother had had a hard pregnancy as well and it could have been a factor in Pavel's pregnancy. He knew that Pavel wouldn't be delivering naturally and so was not worried about losing Pavel like Nadia had been lost. He hoped with all his heart that his skill was enough, allowed himself to believe it completely most of the time, but he watched Pavel closer than ever, determined that they would perform the procedure as soon as they could. He wanted the baby to gain a little more weight. The baby was still small, but there should be no complications, even if she was born early. He hadn't told Pavel, because Pavel wanted her sex to be a surprise, but he had been calling her Little Girl in his mind for weeks. He whispered to her that she was as strong as her papa as Pavel slept fitfully after Little Girl had accidently broken two of his ribs with her intense kicking. It was what had prompted Bones to take him off of active duty and Pavel wasn't happy about it. But, Bones figured it was his prerogative as a doctor and as a father to protect his patient, especially if that patient was his son.

"He loves you, Little Girl, and so do I, but you need to be a little gentler with him. Your papa's strong, but he's only human. He's going to be so mad at me, Little Girl, but it's going to be better for both of you. Maybe we can get him to relax a little. Maybe we'll all get some sleep before we don't get any for months. We're all waiting for you, Little Girl. We're so excited. We love you." He glanced up at Pavel's peaceful face, looked around the medical bay and, when he saw that no one was there, placed a quick gentle kiss to Pavel's belly, "Grandpapa loves you, Little Girl."

"I am carrying a girl?" Pavel's quiet voice drifted to him and he jerked straight.

"Sorry, Pasha," He winced, "I was going to keep my promise and not tell you, I swear."

"I know, Papa." Pavel smiled as McCoy sat back in his chair, relaxing again. It felt good to hear Pavel call him Papa. It was the first time it had come so easily, "In a way it is better."

"Why's that?"

"Now I can tell you her name." Pavel smiled brightly and for a moment he was glowing like those near to giving birth should.

"Oh yeah?" McCoy brightened and sat up taller, "So, what's it going to be, Pasha? What do we call her?" Pavel took his hand and set it against his belly, wanting the three of them to be connected as he shared what had been on his mind and in his heart for weeks.

"At first I was thinking that if the baby was a boy his name would be either Kirk or Christopher."

"Good thing it's not a boy, son. Christopher's all used up and the captain's head is big enough as it is."

Pavel smiled at him, but chose to ignore what he had said and continued, "But, I do think that in my heart I knew she was a girl because I have known what to name her for many weeks now. When I decided she was a girl I thought of perhaps naming her Nadia, after my mother. But, I never knew my mother, not in any real way. I thought of naming her Svetlana after my grandmother, but it didn't seem to fit who she would be. My grandmother was a wonderful woman, but so bound to the land. My baby will live in the stars. I decided that one name, her second name, will be Star for where she will be raised."

"Very poetic, Pasha. And her first name?"

"I want to name her after the only father I have ever known and loved," Pavel's eyes were filled with tears as he looked up at McCoy, but there were tears in McCoy's eyes as well and they both brushed away the single tears that fell and chuckled nervously before Pavel continued, "I would like to name her Leona, Papa, if you don't mind."

"I…" McCoy swallowed the emotion in his throat so that his voice wouldn't break and didn't quite succeed, "I would be honored, Pasha. You hear that, Little Girl? Little Leona Star. And damned if you aren't going to be the most loved little girl in space. It's a good name, son, and I am proud for her to be named for me."

"I love you, Papa."

"Yeah. Love you, too, kid. But, you're still off of active duty until after the baby is born and you're back on your feet. You know that, right?"

"Yes, Papa," Pavel huffed, looking like a child for a moment, tried to cross his arms, then winced at his ribs and settled for glowering. McCoy thought he looked like a kitten that couldn't get to the birds in the cage and almost laughed.

"It's only for a few weeks, Pasha. You'll survive. Promise."

Three days later Hikaru knew that Pavel would survive his forced vacation, but he wasn't so sure about himself. Pavel was more moody than he had been in the entirety of the rest of his pregnancy and nothing anyone tried to do would cheer him up. Sulu rubbed his feet and his back every night and Pavel remained stubbornly silent the entire time. Every time Sulu tried to kiss his troubles away Pavel simply turned his face away and continued pouting. He stubbornly refused Jim's advances to play chess and wouldn't have lunches with Spock and Nyota. Leonard was worried because Pavel's depression was affecting his eating and sleeping habits again and they had already been affected more than they should have been during the course of his pregnancy. His worry over Pavel made him angry and moody as well and only Christine could handle him. They were all amazed, relieved of course, but amazed, when it was Scotty who solved the problem for them.

They had never really realized just how much Pavel depended on work to stabilize his self esteem and his mood, but Scotty had seemed to know exactly what Pavel was feeling. After Hikaru was kicked out of Pavel's room by his bad mood for the third night in a row he went for dinner in the mess. Scotty had joined him at the table and when he asked after their resident genius expectant father, and Sulu's young boyfriend, Sulu had told him exactly how Pavel was behaving. He vented for nearly fifteen minutes and was surprised when Scotty looked at him with sympathy and surprise and then announced that he would take care of it. The next day Scotty arrived at Pavel's quarters just after breakfast insisting that Pavel come with him to Engineering. It took some work to get Pavel out of the room, but once he did the young man seemed much more at ease.

"Mister Scott, what is this?" Pavel's eyes were wide and shocked when he saw the small area that had been set up with a comfortable chair and foot rest.

"You and me, we're of the same breed, lad. We wither without work. I spoke to McCoy last evening and he's agreed that as long as you're resting comfortably you'll be allowed to work down here with me. I'm still researching transwarp beaming. I erased the equation I had. Rather get to the conclusion myself. And I'm always looking for better ways to help my lady here run smoother. Wouldn't mind the help. If…you don't mind."

"Thank you, Mister Scott," Pavel whispered, more grateful than he could say.

"No worries, lad. And you might want to apologize to your man. Sulu's going out of his mind with worry that you're about to toss him over."

Pavel blushed, "I'll apologize tonight."

"That's a good lad. Now, settle in. You've a long day of equations ahead of you."

The next couple of weeks flew by. Pavel was much happier when he had something to occupy his time and he became pleasant again despite the fact that he still wasn't sleeping. He apologized to Sulu and they reconciled with an evening of intense making up. Life settled into a routine for him. Every day he went to breakfast with Hikaru. Scotty picked him up from the mess hall and he would work in Engineering until Uhura picked him up to have lunch with her. After lunch he would drop by the medical bay to satisfy Leonard that he was in good health and Leonard would walk him back to Engineering so that he could work more. If ever he grew tired or uncomfortable sitting in the chair Keenser was more than happy to walk around the ship with him. Keenser would chat amiably in his own language and Pavel would listen, despite the fact that he didn't understand a word. The others marveled at the strange friendship that worked perfectly for the two and smiled whenever they passed. After the work day ended Pavel was usually picked up by Hikaru or Kirk if Hikaru was in the botany lab. On the days Kirk picked him up they went back to his quarters and played chess. Every other day Spock would come to his quarters and Pavel would get a glimpse into the mind of his daughter. He had started calling her Leona and Spock was amazed to report that after only a week, she had reaction to the name. He wasn't sure if she understood it to be her name, but she felt secure in it. No matter what night it was, Pavel always ate dinner with Hikaru in his quarters. Hikaru knew that he didn't like to face so many people who thought his belly was an excuse to lay hands on him whenever they felt like it. Which was why, two weeks before his due date, Pavel was ready to cry when Hikaru left a note asking Pavel to meet him in the officer's lounge after shift. He walked nervously down the hall but no one seemed to want to stop him and he was grateful for the fact. He was ready to be extremely angry with Hikaru for putting him through a stress that could have been avoided when he opened the door and promptly burst into tears.

"Surprise, Pavel," Nyota said quietly, knowing he didn't need shouting. The lounge was decorated in the soft yellow that Pavel had decorated Leona's room in. There was a beautiful cake set in the middle of a table surrounded by presents and it seemed like nearly a quarter of the crew was in the room, all of them smiling at him. He wiped his tears away as Hikaru led him to a seat in the center of the room, where Nyota promptly took over.

"We're going to have games," She smiled as she took his hand, "And there's a cake and some punch. And presents! People will come and go as their duty permits, but we all knew we just had to throw you a shower! Are you happy, Pav?" She really couldn't tell.

"Nyota!" Pavel threw his arms around her, "I am so happy! I am sorry. It took me a moment. I was very surprised!" He looked up and around and smiled widely at them all, "Thank you all so much!" And he laughed. They all began to laugh as well, seeing his joy and the party got underway.

Pavel never had to worry about not getting toys and stuffed friends for Leona he realized as he opened his gifts. His baby was going to have more toys than any child would know what to do with. He cooed over each toy appropriately and lavished thanks on those who had given them. He exclaimed over each pair of hand knitted booties and each of the forty-seven traditional infant and young child outfits from various planets he was gifted. He was grateful that Nyota seemed to have passed the word about what they had bought for the child already, because he didn't receive bottles or blankets, of which he had enough and he was gifted more things for a toddler than he had expected. He felt emotion gather in his throat as he watched his friends playing games that he was grateful he was not expected to participate in given his state and fell deeper in to love with Hikaru as his lover wrapped his arms around Pavel from behind when he was standing to watch the fun and kissed the back of his neck.

"Sorry to stress you out all day, Pav," He murmured.

"You didn't stress me out," Pavel insisted.

"Don't lie. I know I did, Pav. But, I promise it was worth it. You won't have to stay locked up in your room anymore. Nyota and Scotty had the word spread around how uncomfortable all the touching was making you. No one will touch you without your permission anymore. Not if they don't want the worst shifts for the next three months."

"Why is that?" Pavel asked, closing his eyes as Hikaru kissed his neck.

"Spock's threatened the worst shifts if someone makes you uncomfortable."

"Mister Spock?"

"Okay, so Nyota threatened that she would have Spock put people on the worst shifts if they made you uncomfortable. People are taking it seriously."

"And so they should!" Nyota called, "Hikaru, let go of your boyfriend for ten minutes! Pavel, come over here! We want to play another game!" Pavel laughed and Hikaru released him.

"I'll bring you some cake and punch," Hikaru kissed his neck once more and released him.

"What are you playing now?" Pavel asked as he sat down, surrounded by people.

"We want to guess the baby's name!" Chapel smiled, "The one who gets closest wins a prize!"

"Leonard, you and Hikaru are not allowed to play!" Janice Rand called out.

"Pa…Len?" Pavel turned around just as McCoy and Kirk made their way into the lounge.

"Hey, Pav," Kirk ruffled his hair, "This is for you. Here." He thrust a brightly colored package into Pavel's lap and sat on the floor next to him, waiting for the game to start.

"Hey, Pasha," Len touched his shoulder and sat down in the chair next to him, "Having fun?"

"Yes," Pavel smiled and sat back in his chair as the game began. As the outlandish names began to fly Pavel opened the package Kirk had given him and smiled when the box contained a scale model of their home.

"I know it's a girl," Kirk shrugged, "But, I just thought that maybe we shouldn't restrict her to dolls. The model comes with a promise that you're not going anywhere. I just got the official word from Starfleet. As of nineteen hundred today the children of officers will be allowed to live on the starships so as not to be separated from their parents. She's going to be the first. Until there are more they won't send us a teacher or a caregiver, but I wouldn't worry about it. We've got the brightest minds in the universe here and we're all waiting for her. I don't think you and Sulu are going to have any problem getting a babysitter if you need one."

"Even you, Captain?" Pavel asked, expecting Jim to sputter. Instead he just grinned.

"Especially me, Pav. Don't tell anyone, but I'm a sucker for kids."

"Your secret is safe, Captain."

"Jim," He stressed.

"Jim," Pavel smiled. Leona apparently approved of the conversation and the party because she chose that very moment to kick Pavel. As his ribs were still tender, he winced a little as he rubbed his belly to try to soothe her.

"You okay, Pasha?" Leonard leaned over and asked softly.

"I'm fine, Papa," Pavel answered just as softly so that the only other person who could hear them was Jim, seated at Pavel's feet. He smiled just to make his point, "I'll be happier when she can't kick me, but…"

"Okay, so it is after someone on the ship, right, Pav?" Janice called out. Pavel nodded distractedly.

"Then it's either Lenora or Leona," Nyota proclaimed triumphantly, "After her granddaddy."

Pavel couldn't help but laugh at the certainty on her face, "Leona Star," He told them all. They sighed happily and they were all so dear to him in that moment that when Leona began to kick again he asked if they wanted to feel. After all it was only Nyota, Janice, Gaila, and Christine and they were all very good friends who had never once made him uncomfortable. He raised an eyebrow at the man he had taken as his father when, after her turn, Christine moved to stand behind his chair and rubbed his shoulders a little. Len smiled up at her. It was a different smile than he had for Pavel or Johanna and different again than the one for Leona. There was something different about this smile and it made Pavel very happy indeed. He wanted Len to be happy. He was so happy now with his Hikaru and Leona on the way, he wanted everyone to be happy. But, he had a special place and wish for the man he had taken as his father in his heart and he was glad to see it coming true.

"Four hundred and twenty seven aunt and uncles, a grandpapa, and maybe a grandmamma," Pavel whispered to Leona around a wide yawn that caught him by surprise.

"Tired, sweetheart?" Hikaru was at his side in an instant and Pavel had to wonder if he'd been watching him. More and more often lately he had caught Hikaru watching him like a hawk. He felt very safe and very secure knowing that so many people cared about him and Leona enough to watch them so closely, but he would never tell them that. They might think he was annoyed by it if he brought it up and stop.

"A little," he admitted.

"Go to bed, Pav," Jim got up from the floor and helped Pavel to his feet, "You do look beat. Chess tomorrow after shift?"

"I'd like that."

"Night, Pasha." When Leonard hugged him it was clear that he was distracted by the very distracting way Chapel was leaning far over some of the stuffed animals exclaiming over how cute they were and allowing her already short skirt to ride up even higher.

"Have a nice night, Papa." When Len looked at him Pavel winked and jerked his chin toward Christine. Len had the decency to blush and Pavel laughed.

"Don't worry about all the gifts," Nyota said as she hugged him, "We'll get them to your quarters sometime tomorrow. Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked worriedly when she realized Pavel had yet to let her go.

"Nothing," He murmured, sniffling just a little, "Thank you, Nyota. For everything. I was wondering if you would…Would you consider being Leona's godmother?"

"Oh, baby!" She hugged him closer, letting two tears slip down her cheeks, "Of course I would! Thank you so much for the honor! Scotty is going to be godfather?"

"How did you guess?" He pulled back and grinned.

"I'm just that good," She giggled, then looked up and back at him, "You better get going. I know you're tired and I think Sulu has something he still wants to show you before you head off to bed. He's almost bouncing he's so excited. Have a good night."

"Why do my eyes have to be covered when I know we're in the botany lab?" Pavel asked ten minutes later as Sulu directed him across the room with a gentle hand to his back as the other covered his eyes.

"Because it's a surprise and that's just how surprises work, Pav," Pavel could hear the excitement in Sulu's voice and it made him smile. He had an idea of what was coming, but he didn't want to get his hopes up before Sulu could confirm it.

"Okay…now," Hikaru uncovered his eyes and Pavel's hands flew to his mouth. He had expected that Hikaru had grafted a rose for Leona, but he hadn't expected it to be so beautiful. The single rose in the bud vase was a true deep purple with light green edges around the petals.

"'Karu, it is beautiful," He turned around and threw himself in Hikaru's arms.

"Mister Spock said purple is the color that appears in her mind the most," He pulled back slightly and rubbed Pavel's belly gently, "Took me fifty three attempts to get it just the right shade. Spock's a perfectionist. I call it Love To Leona, though you can name it anything you want really. It's a gift for both of you."

"I think Love To Leona is a perfect name, Hikaru," Pavel pressed himself close to the man he loved and kissed his neck, "I love it. And I love you."

"Love you, too, Pav." He dropped to his knees much as he had the first day Pavel had told him about Leona and pressed his lips to the growing life, "I love you, too, Leona. I'm so excited to meet you. Can't wait."

"She likes your voice," Pavel smiled when Leona began to kick.

"So am I forgiven for stressing you out?" Hikaru asked as he stood. Pavel blushed and looked away.

"You did not stress me out."

"Pav," Hikaru took Pavel's stubborn chin between to fingers and turned Pavel's face bac to him, "I did. I could see it on your face when you walked into the lounge. You were ready to kill me. It's understandable. I wouldn't want people all over me either. But am I? Forgiven I mean?"

"Of course you are," And Pavel gave him a passionate kiss that had them both gasping and rubbing against each other a little before they were done to prove it, "I am sorry," He panted when they took a minute to breathe.

"Why?" Hikaru asked.

"Because I cannot give you what you want and I will not be able to for some time. I know there are only so many…"

"Do not say the bj or hj words in front of Leona!"

"A man can handle before he needs something more…substantial. I'm sorry I cannot give it to you yet."

"Hey, Pav," Hikaru kissed his forehead, "Don't worry about it. It'll all be worth it when she gets here. I should have gotten up the courage to ask you a lot earlier then we wouldn't have had this problem. But, it's not like it's such a big deal. You're carrying a baby girl in there and that's miracle enough. I wouldn't trade Leona for the most mind blowing sex in the entire galaxy. Got it?"

"Got it. Can Leona's rose handle the atmosphere in my room?"

"Of course it can. Why?"

Because I want it to be the first thing I see in the morning, but I am very ready to sleep now."

"Shit! Of course you are, Pav. You've had a long day and it's late and I'm sorry for keeping you up so long!"

"'Karu, you're babbling and it is fine and I love you despite it." They both froze when Pavel realized just what he'd said. Then, Hikaru melted and held Pavel close, rocking slightly.

"Care to say that again?"

"I love you," Pavel whispered against Hikaru's cheek, not able to make his throat produce more sound. The moment felt too right, too…sacred almost…to ruin with big gestures and loud words.

Hikaru felt it too and he kissed Pavel's hair before whispering, "I love you, too, Pavel. So much."

"Hikaru, would you…be there with me? When Leona is born, I mean?"

"You mean hold your hand, pat your hair, tell you when she comes into the world she's the most beautiful little girl to ever be born?"

Pavel grinned and wondered absently when their gentle rocking had turned into swaying, when they had begun to dance, "Something like that."

"It would be an honor," Hikaru kissed the hand he had been holding in his own, then set it against his chest, over his heart, his own covering it and knew that this was exactly how they were always meant to be. In any reality, he hoped that he was smart enough to recognize that he would never be happier than when he was dancing with Pavel Chekov.

Hikaru realized he was wrong a week later when McCoy decided it was time to bring Leona into the world. Pavel had been having back pain and what they thought was indigestion, but had turned out to be minor labor pains all day when he had gone to McCoy just after lunch for his daily check-up. Hikaru was on the bridge when he got the summons to the medical bay. At the words, "It's time," he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Well, get going!" Kirk gave him a shove when he just stood, too shocked to move, "Tell Pav we'll all be down later."

When he got down to the medical bay it only took him a split second to know that something was wrong from the worried look on Pavel's face and the way McCoy was bent over him, stroking his hair and murmuring so softly that no one else could understand what he was saying. Hikaru moved when he saw the tears begin in Pavel's eyes and McCoy straighten.

"What's wrong?" He took McCoy's arm rather rougher than he had intended when he the doctor passed him. Luckily the doctor didn't even seem to notice.

"The baby's heart rate is down. And so is Pavel's. Neither are dangerous yet, but I'm going to sedate him. We're not going to be able to do this slow and graceful like I wanted to. It's going to happen fast. Get over there. He'll need you before I put him under."

"They're both going to be okay, aren't they, Doc?"

"Yeah, they're going to be fine," But McCoy's lips were pursed and the line that appeared between his eyes when he was worried hadn't gone away, "They're going to be fine." Hikaru wasn't sure if McCoy was trying to convince him or himself. He let go of the doctor's arm and made his way to Pavel's biobed.

"Hikaru," Pavel felt the relief wash over him as the man he loved walked toward him, a confident expression on his face, "I wasn't sure you'd make it before Papa gave me the sedative."

"Wouldn't miss it, Pav." Hikaru took his hand and began to stroke his hair soothingly. Pavel closed his eyes and tried not to let the tears slip down his cheeks. He was nearly successful.

"Tell me everything is going to be all right. Tell me Leona is going to be all right," he begged, not ashamed of it.

"You're both going to be just fine, Pav. I promise. When you wake up, McCoy and I are going to be with you and Leona will be, too. Just imagine her, Pav."

"You ready, Pasha?" Len's voice asked quietly. He only nodded, keeping his eyes closed. It was happening so much faster than he had thought it would. He was supposed to be awake for it. He wasn't supposed to be worried at all. He felt the sting and pressure of the hypo spray against his neck and gave into it pulling him under, listening to the voices of those who loved him, those he loved.

"Everything's going to be okay, Pasha."

"Just imagine her, Pavel. She's going to be beautiful. Just dream of her…"

He didn't know if it had been minutes or hours before he woke again. He moved automatically to touch his belly only to find that his hand was being held. He turned his face, surprised at how refreshed he was feeling, despite the discomfort in his abdomen, and smiled to see his father sitting in the chair next to his bed, smiling at him.

"Everything went well?" He knew he didn't even have to ask. Not with the smile on Len's face.

"Everything went perfect, Pav. I'll want you back in here in a couple of months so that we can take care of the scarring. I had to work faster than I wanted, but it was worth it. You'll see what I mean when you see her. She's beautiful. She's perfect. And she's healthy. Healthy as a horse. And has she got a set of lungs on her!" And Len laughed, "Sulu and Chris are cleaning her up right now. Soon as she's in a nice diaper and that blanket Nyota got for her they're bring her back in. Congratulations…Papa." Len leaned in close and kissed Pavel's forehead. They both turned and Len helped him sit up when Hikaru walked slowly back into the room holding a small bundle and cooing to it gently. Pavel could see a tiny hand waving about and felt his heart clench. He held out his hands for her and couldn't help the tears when she was finally placed in his arms.

He took her in, not caring about his tears. Light brown hair. More of it than he had been expecting. She looked up at him with eyes a cloudy blue. He wondered if they would darken or lighten as she got older. Both were possibilities as far as he could see. Her skin was a pale pink. Her cheeks were chubby. He counted her fingers, moved aside the blanket to count her toes, and wrapped her back up again. He held her close and kissed each of her cheeks, her forehead, her tiny nose.

"Hello, Leona," He whispered as Hikaru climbed into the bed with him and supported his back. He leaned back against Hikaru and smiled when Len set a hip on the bed and the three of them looked down at the little girl, looking back up at them, "We have been waiting for you, beautiful little girl. I have been waiting for you. You are everything I have been dreaming of." He looked up and saw the tears in his eyes reflected in Leonard's and Hikaru's.

"How can you love someone so much so quickly?" He asked.

"I don't know, Pasha," Len ran a finger down Leona's cheek, "But it happens every day. The others want to come in and see her. Just the command crew. But, if you want a little more time with her alone."

"No," Pavel smiled brightly, "There will be plenty of time to be alone with her. Now is time for family."

"I'll go get them, then," Len smiled and stood.

"And Christine!" Pavel called after him, "She is family now, too."

Len's smile was soft and loving. He would deny it later, "Whatever you say, kid."

"She's beautiful, Pav," Hikaru whispered when they were alone.

"She's ours," Pavel leaned his head against Hikaru's shoulder and angled it perfectly for a kiss which Hikaru was only too glad to grant. Kissing Pavel as he helped him support their newborn he knew he had been wrong the night he'd held Pavel. He had never been happier than this moment. It was a happiness he didn't dare hope he would get to experience twice in his lifetime.

But, he did. Demora Sun Chekov-Sulu was born two years, seven months, and two days later to two very proud fathers, too many aunts and uncles to count, grandparents who would spoil her rotten, and a sister named Leona Star.

**A/N: I have an idea for a short sequel involving Demora and family time. Please let me know if anyone would be interested in reading it.**


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